The Crystal Melody
by Mama Bunny
Summary: [sequel to Our Keeper's Keeper] Canti awakes one morning to find time itself has changed, and she with along it. Armed with her memories of the way life should be, can she fix the history of both the realms and her own timeline in order to save the world and who she used to be! COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Notes: Do we need another AU spinoff for Records of Keeper Canti? Yes. Yes we do. Here's a reality where Canti doesn't take her life at the end of Records, and Rebirth is just a very long, detailed dream Cid had that inspired him to do everything he could to spare her.

FIC START!

The university had been quite abuzz since everything involving Canti's planned Erasure being canceled. Many of her friends and classmates never suspected that she was in such a mental state. It seemed the only ones who had any clue were the party members that had been at her side through everything since she saved them. Many stopped by her observatory to come and see her, and even though she was showing a lot of the telltale signs of depression, she did her best to receive them all. It wasn't easy, forcing herself to do the right thing when all she wanted to do was be far from everyone there, but with the support of her Papa Cid, and Kain, she managed to work through it. Somehow. Life seemed to just flow by slowly, like a gentle spring breeze.

"I hate this," Canti said suddenly, sitting on her bed with one of her books across her lap. She'd been reading more about the Second Realm, the place where she was born and lived for the first few years of her life.

"Hate what?" Kain asked.

"The whole having to deal with all these people," she answered him. "They all come by and say they're grateful that I'm still okay, but they never noticed that I wasn't doing so hot before."

Cid sat down next to her. "That's probably because you put up a different face while you're here. When we're out there in the field, you don't bother trying to hide anything. You're so focused on your mission that you don't have the time to worry about your feelings." He sighed. "A lot of it is the fact that you're not here often anymore. You'd been taking on a lot of different missions just to avoid being here."

"Because I hate it here!" she declared. "I hate this place and most the people in it!"

"Kain... Help me out here..." Cid muttered, motioning towards her.

"You know that if you weren't a keeper, you wouldn't have a family now, right?" Kain asked. "Instead of looking at the parts of life you hate, why not be grateful for the opportunities it's given you?"

Canti reached into her bag that sat on the floor and pulled out a book about the Fourth Realm. "Do I need to remind you about the things you pulled to avoid having to deal with people?" she asked threateningly.

"Actually, no," he said, snatching the book. "I'm doing this to prevent you from making the same mistakes I did. You can't go hiding for nearly two decades and expect things to be completely absolved when you return. There is healing to do, and you have to make it happen." Kain then opened the book, flipping through a few pages. "This book isn't about my history. It's about the history of Mysidia. Know what you're going to threaten with before you say anything."

 _This isn't the help I was expecting,_ Cid thought, needing to step out for a cigarette.

"I knew what it was. I grabbed that on purpose," Canti said, snatching the book back and turning to a later chapter. "Hello, Dark Kain. Look at that, it's your mental problems taken physical form and stealing the crystal away from the Elder that had been decimated by Titan after being summoned by the Mysterious Girl. Am I missing anything?"

Kain rolled his eyes. "I'm remembering why I left."

"I'm remembering why I'm glad you left," she retorted, looking away.

The silence between them went on for what seemed like an eternity. By the time Cid had come back in the room, he found that the two were barely on speaking terms, and Canti had an expression on her face that lead her to wanting to skewer the man who she was supposed to love. "What the actual hell," he said. "I stepped out so you two could get all over each other for a moment and relieve the tension between you two! Why the hell has it gotten worse?!"

"Papa, it's nice for you to try to ship me with Kain and all, but-"

Kain cut her off. "That's not how I fix problems. If you want everything to be fixed with kisses and hugs, you might want to find someone else to handle this. Clearly this wasn't what she wanted otherwise one of those other dimwits would have sufficed."

"Cosmos damn it, Kain, just kiss my daughter," Cid commanded, glaring at him.

"I've... Never..." Kain blushed, turning so that his back faced them both. "I've never kissed anyone. I don't know how to initiate that. And, honestly, that's not the core of the issue. Dealing with Canti's depression is something that goes much deeper than just showing her affection. That might help her deal with the outward feelings, but it doesn't do anything to fix what causes those innermost problems, now does it?"

Canti didn't know what to make of that. Everyone was so eager to jump into the affection and loving the idea that they were what made her feel better. Minwu attempted to get through her this way, but she never took the time to listen to him. "...I understand," she said, her voice staying very quiet. "You're absolutely right, Kain. I'm so sorry I never took the time to consider that affection was something that took care of surface level problems and not what was causing me to feel the way I have been."

Cid couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did Canti just apologize for expecting what she always expected? Perhaps this last experience had helped her grow up more than any other since he'd come to know her. He took a deep breath and said, "All right, then. So let's figure out exactly what it is that's got you so down. Once we take care of that, things should look better." He sat down in a chair, facing Canti, ready and willing with open ears.

"I've all ready told you," Canti said. "I'm not happy being a keeper. I mean, I was pretty excited when I got the license. I am happy that I met both of you, and all the party members I've had in the past. Kain is right, because of this job and where I am placed, I've seen all the realms and I've had some incredible adventures." She smiled before she let out a little sigh. "I do see what's great about this. But I also see what isn't great about it."

"Such as?" Kain asked, taking a seat next to her on her bed.

"I'm not taking the fact that at the end of all of this, when the Ardent is sealed away, everyone's going to go back home very well. I just don't like the idea that I'm so close to all of you and eventually you have to just poof from my life," she replied honestly. It wasn't the first time she said that aloud, but it was never easy to admit that it was true. "I don't have friends or family here. I never have. I've been lonely until I met all of you Heroes and I know I'm going to be lonely again once its all over. I fought for my right to love a Hero before, but that doesn't change the fact that everyone has to go home. Everyone's going to leave."

Kain knew that he had ripped pages from her book to delete overwhelming memories, but now he wondered exactly how bad that decision was. Those people had left her, the book said. They drove her to want to die. He couldn't handle her being on that path. At least now she was only just depressed, right? Was he going to have to plant the seeds of new relationships to help her cope with this looming loneliness instead? Great. That would just add to the million other decisions that he wished he took a different approach with over the course of his life.

"Baby girl, didn't I tell you?" Cid asked. "They've all ready approved of me to stay here with you. I don't have to leave you. They'll have to have me change from one in time to one outside of time, whatever that crazy talk means, but I don't care. That means I get to stay here with you. I get to make sure you're never lonely again!" He let out a laugh, but that didn't change the expression on her face. "What? Your ol' Papa Cid isn't enough for you?! Guess I'll have to make arrangements for pretty boy here to stay with you, too."

"Papa..." she let out a little giggle. "...as much as I'd like that. There's so much more for you to do. There's more that will take place, and you have to be there for it. I won't take you away from the Seventh Realm. I won't take you away from where you need to be."

"I need to be with my daughter and whatever grandbabies I have," Cid corrected her. "I've made my decision, Cantirena, you aren't going to change my mind. You're stuck with me!"

Canti leaned over on Kain, nuzzling her cheek against his arm. "If this makes you uncomfortable, tell me and I won't do it," she said.

"It doesn't," Kain answered softly. "Do with me as you need."

Cid laughed loudly, getting up out of his chair.

"What are you doing? Aren't we having a very important discussion?" Kain asked as Canti continued to nuzzle against his arm.

"Oh, you naive dumbass," Cid muttered, shaking his head. "I'll be in the cafeteria. Cosmos knows I need to eat something all ready." He walked out the door, locking and shutting it behind him as he left.

Canti flopped onto his lap once Cid was gone, looking up at Kain's face. His eyes so blue that when she stared into them, it felt like she was looking up into the endless, cloudless sky, surrounded by golden waves of hair more expertly taken care of than her own locks. She could have looked at that face forever and found it interesting, found it enthralling, found it handsome and safe for eternity and beyond even that. They'd had plenty of adventures together in the past. They'd fought together, laughed together. She cried on him so many times during all of that, and he held onto her every single time. How could she have gone so long without laying in his lap to take him in? Canti always wanted Kain to make the moves on her, and every time she waited, he never did. Was he afraid of losing her to someone else, the way he had lost Rosa to Cecil?

"You're lovely," Kain said. He'd been looking down at her just the same as she had to him. "You've always been."

"You are far more lovely than I could ever be," she said, not letting her eyes wander again from the majesty that was his face. "Blessed by the Goddess to be more handsome than the history books described."

"I understand why your father left the room, but honestly, I have no idea how to go where you want me to," Kain whispered. "I'm not uncomfortable with the idea. I've always longed to know about love. I've always longed to be so close to someone that they'd willingly..."

"You don't need to long for that anymore," Canti said, reaching up to cup his face within her hands. "As you're helping me heal and find what I need, it's only right for me to help you with what you need." She smiled just a little as she ran her fingers along the side of his cheek, feeling the exact shape of his face. "You came back to me when no one else did. Why did you never tell me how deep your feelings were?"

Kain let her trace along the shape of his face. It was an odd sensation, but it wasn't something that he couldn't enjoy. "I'm just as damaged as you are," he answered. "There was a time that I believed I wasn't worthy of loving, and when someone made the move before I was able to, I knew that I wasn't worthy of loving anyone."

"Damaged," she repeated the word he used. "Damaged. I take it you know about Borghen then?"

"I was not aware of the name of the one who did it, but it's very easy to spot someone that has been through that particular kind of hell." His tone dropped considerably. "It wasn't just my actions against those I loved during the Crystal War that drove me to the brink of insanity, and later, to my self-exile." Kain put one of his hands in her hair, running the balls of his fingers through her blue curls. "Those who've seen this... They, they carry themselves a particular way. I could see it from the moment we met."

"Kain..." Canti gasped, sitting up. "...forgive me for being so blind to it. For not understanding such a core part of who you are."

"No, my lady," he said. "I've no reason to forgive you."

She brought her face closer to his until the tips of their noses touched. "You said you've never had a kiss. Is that true?"

"I wasn't lying," he said sternly. "I've no reason to lie about that."

"Can I kiss you?" she asked.

Kain blushed, but he nodded just a little bit.

Canti's lips met with his. She pressed herself against him, and his hands wrapped around her instinctively. She pulled back and pressed her lips against his. Again and again and again. Sometimes she bit his lip a little and pulled it into hers. Her arms went around his neck and she climbed onto him, sitting on his lap but with her chest to his. Her heart to his heart. They shared his embrace for a while, neither one wanting to let up. He was warm and safe. She could have hidden in that feeling for the rest of her life, if only she would have the chance to do exactly that. "I've been wanting to do this for ages now," she confessed to him, squeezing him as tightly as she could.

"The dream is not lost on me," Kain agreed. "I have wanted nothing more than to share this sort of closeness..."

"Even though it never would help you solve your problem?" she asked.

"Now that I understand a little more, having experienced just that," Kain said, "I'm under the impression that this sort of affection could help someone deal with issues like the ones we share." He returned the embrace. "Not completely, of course. We haven't solved anything yet, for either of us. But at the very least, we do feel better, right?"

"I do," she nodded.

"I do, too," he said. "The truth is, now that I have... I could easily see why you would hide within it instead of confronting your problems head on. It would be so much easier to enjoy this warmth and pretend it doesn't exist than to actually face them. You were trying to cope. You were seeking an escape for your pain, and confusing this affection for love makes all the sense in the world to me."

"Kain," Canti said. "I do love you."

"And not just one of your lustful flings of the fast sort of way?" Kain asked, only causing her to glare at him. "Understood, my lady. You've grown since then. I know you have."

She leaned in to whisper into his ear, "I love you, Kain. I always have. I just never understood how to process love like this. It was so much easier to just go between guys and enjoy all of their physical affection... And I, I can't help but feel like I've hurt you more than I can ever-"

Kain just nuzzled against her shoulder. "As long as we work towards understanding each other and what we need, you don't have to worry about hurting me anymore," he answered. "I accept you for who you are and what you've done in the past, and I forgive you for the pain you gave me." He then looked right into her eyes. "I love you. I always have."

There was a moment of silence that surrounded them for a while, just enjoying the warmth and understanding shared between both of them. That's when a letter slipped underneath the dorm door that came with a sudden, loud knock that surprised both Canti and Kain. "Summons from Dr. Mog!" the deliverer said with a voice marred by a sore throat and puberty.

"That hasn't changed," she grunted, climbing off of him. "Always during a sensitive moment..."

"Do not fret," Kain said. "We will return to it once your task is done."

"You promise?"

"Yes."

"Well, then, it's best we get it done, so we can get back to it!" Canti said, straightening out her uniform and grabbing all the rest of her equipment. "The sooner we get our work done, the sooner we can get to the fun stuff."

"While it was relaxing, I'm not sure if I would call it 'fun'."

"It was fun, Cosmos damn it. Just accept it," she said menacingly.

He let out an exasperated sigh, preparing to follow her over to the office to find out exactly what her task was.

...

Canti knocked on the office door to speak to Dr. Mog. She was let in almost immediately. There were a few keepers in there that she didn't know. Kain, seeing this and understanding that it wasn't his place to be there for this meeting, stood to wait outside for her eventual return.

"Very well, kupo," Dr. Mog said, bowing his head to the keepers Canti really couldn't recognize. "If this is your decision, I've no right to step in, kupo."

"It is, sir," one of them said. "Please understand the reason I make this transfer."

"You will be missed here, kupo, but if it cannot be avoided..." Dr. Mog let out a sigh. "Ahh, if it isn't my professional troublemaker, Keeper Canti."

"I got your summons, Doc," she said, holding it up to show him. "Though I was told that I'd be in recovery for a while because of... All the... Uhh... stuff..."

"You are, you are," Dr. Mog answered, nodding as he turned to the other keepers in the room. "If that'll be all, please give your paperwork to the administration department, both of you."

The other two keepers in the room started to leave and they gave a glare at Canti that she didn't quite understand. She didn't know these people. Why would they give her such an expression like that? So hard, almost a deep-seated anger that they couldn't express. It made her feel uneasy. She moved aside to allow them to leave, and they left.

"What did I do?" she asked, blinking in confusion.

"You don't need to worry about that," Dr. Mog said. "I need you to take a look at this file." He pushed the file over the desk and to her hands.

Canti opened the file up and read through the first two pages. "You want me to retrieve Emperor Mateus Palamecia?!" she asked. "That's even weirder than the keepers giving me death glares."

"The truth is, I wasn't ready to give you an assignment right now. I know you're in recovery, and based on what I've heard, you're doing great, kupo," Dr. Mog said, his wings fluttering about. "But you are the greatest specialist we have on the Second Realm, and we desperately need to find him."

"You can't be serious..." she said. "I'm all up for saving a hero, but... This guy?! He's responsible for everything gone wrong in the Second Realm!"

Dr. Mog let out a little chuckle. "That's not what I expected to hear you say, kupo. He's one of the most handsome men that's ever lived. I thought you'd jump at the occasion. Pardon my dragoon pun, kupo."

"I will admit, he is my type," Canti said, looking at the picture in the file. "Royalty with blonde hair? He's got to have a seductively deep voice, too. I mean, he's an Emperor. That's one of the sexiest features a man can have."

"So you'll take the assignment. Save the Emperor from being devoured by the Ardent and bring him here, kupo."

"Hold up. I'll oggle him all you like, but..." she closed the file. "...I don't think it's a fantastic idea to bring him here. He's going to completely screw it all up!"

Dr. Mog sighed. "Kuuuuuupo. We have other villains, and our university still stands. History isn't determined just by the saviors. If we don't have the villains, history can still be destroyed, and the keepers are the defenders of the History of the Realms."

Canti crossed her arms. "Under one condition," she said.

"Yes?"

"I want permission to... Have someone stay with me," she said. "Not just the medical reason, but. Someone to live with me."

"We'll provide you with a bigger dorm room, should you do this, kupo," Dr. Mog replied.

She nodded. "I'll take it! Consider this guy rescued and brought back to you in one piece."

"Thank you kindly, kupo," Dr. Mog nodded in agreement. "Please take your best team and be prepared for danger."

"Understood." Canti took the file with her as she left, and Kain followed alongside her once he noticed she was going to the gates. "Hey, Kain. Prepare to depart. We've a mission."

"You want me with you for this? I thought your team was completely full." Kain was surprised to hear that. "Who will you send away in exchange for me?"

"I don't think the entire team will show up once I let them know I've a mission," she said. "And that doesn't matter. If the only ones who go out there today are just you and me, then that's who's going. I'm not going to try to convince them to work with me."

"You might be surprised," Kain said, pointing to the rest of her team gathered at the usual place. "When I overheard your conversation in the office, I knew you'd need the cavalry."

Cid pushed up his goggles. "Back in the thick of it all ready, huh, baby girl?" he asked. "We're all with you!" Vanille and Minwu both had looks of confidence as they stood there on Cid's sides.

"Where's that sky pirate?" Kain asked.

"Balthier has decided he's not going to stay with us anymore," Vanille answered in that sweet voice of hers. "He said he wanted to give that place to the one who deserved to be a part of the team."

"What? Me?"

"Who else?" Minwu asked. "It makes the most sense for you to be on this team. Almost more than any of us, except for Cid." He walked over to Canti and ruffled her hair. "I'm glad to see you well."

"I'm not all better yet," she said. "It's called a recovery process for a reason."

"Well said," Minwu replied, leaning in to give her a kiss on the forehead.

"What's our mission?" Cid asked as he began to check his equipment.

"We're going to save someone from being devoured by the Ardent in the Second Realm," Canti said, holding up the folder. "It's a realm I'm supposedly an expert about... Being born there and all."

"Then let's suit up," Kain said. "Let's go. We've saved quite a few in the past."

"You're right. You're absolutely right!" Canti said. "Let's go!"


	2. Chapter 2

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Notes: Do we need another AU spinoff for Records of Keeper Canti? Yes. Yes we do. Here's a reality where Canti doesn't take her life at the end of Records, and Rebirth is just a very long, detailed dream Cid had that inspired him to do everything he could to spare her.

FIC START!

 _Part 2_

Upon crossing over to the other side of the painting that took the party into the Second Realm, everyone kept their weaponry close. Minwu felt a surge of energy swirl about him, that mythical Realm Synergy that many at the university had mentioned. It wasn't the first time that the Keeper's Badge had bestowed him with this extra boost in power, but it was the first time that he stopped to think about it as the party walked slowly through a gold-plated hallway that glittered even in darkness.

"Who needs this much gold so much that they plate the walls?" Cid asked, simply not believing the extravagance of the palace they were walking through.

"There's only one person this gaudy," Minwu muttered. "The man who ruined this entire world simply because he desired to rule all of it. The Emperor, Mateus."

"Sounds like a nice person," Vanille said sarcastically. "To value plating his palace with gold instead of taking care of people under his rule... What a meanie."

"You've no idea," Minwu said as they continued. "So, tell me, Canti. Exactly who are we rescuing from this place?"

"We are here to recover the Emperor," Canti answered him honestly, even though she really didn't want to. Eventually he was going to find out, so she knew she might as well just tell him.

Kain watched Minwu go from rather calm and collected to distorted. He could see Minwu's desire to scream out in objection even through the veil he wore that covered most of his face. "Is there a reason? It sounds to me like rescuing this Emperor would be like trying to recover Zeromus from the moon."

"To tell the truth, it's just as bad as that... If not worse," Canti said. "However, as a keeper, I've a duty to protecting the flow of time and ensuring history flows as it should."

"You mean that as a keeper, instead of doing all you can to save your home world, you're ensuring that it is embroiled in war," Minwu breathed out, simply not believing what he just said could be the truth. "You've sentenced so many to death by his hellfire."

"I'm aware of that," she said. "Trust me, I didn't want to take this assignment. I don't want to save the man that will force you to choose sacrifice yourself for the Wild Rose rebellion, Minwu. I don't want to have any part in doing that. But the fact is... If one of the realms should fall, it would leave a hole to the darkness, and it will seep through to the Royal City. If one realm falls, all will fall."

"This man, he and his war forced your tribe underground," Minwu stated. "He is to blame for the death of your mother and the condemnation of your father-"

"You think I don't know what his war has done to my life?!" Canti shouted at him, turning around to face him so she could look him square in the eye. Every member of the team could see the tears streaming down her face, the despair that tore her heart to shreds. "But history tells that a heroic young rebel that fought for a brave princess saves this world and puts and end to the war. History tells that your sacrifice enables the rebellion to pull through. I hate it so much. I hate that it must be this way, but it must! You are a Seer, Minwu. You know it more than I do that this is how it has to be."

"Canti," he shook his head gently. "I can see how it must be. I have always known my fate. To face the darkness of death, knowing that the world hinges on me to one day be free. Just as I have always known..." he coughed, placing his hand on her shoulder. "...that even though you saved me from being devoured, I could never stay with you."

Vanille walked ahead a bit while those two were having their moment, and she heard something was going on further down the hallway. She ran back to tell the others, even though it seemed impossible to get through to them.

"You mean you proposed to me, knowing it would set me off?"

"I had to push you in the right direction."

"I can't believe you! Faking a romance-"

"That you clearly needed to stay stable because being without someone to comfort you in the most intimate of ways drove you past the point to where any of us could reach you," Minwu confessed, his eyes just as full of tears as hers were. "You carried in you so much pain that the only thing I could do was make love to you until your mind felt safe again. I used that love you craved so much to keep you stable."

"You..." she growled, turning away from him.

"Holy shit, calm down," Cid said, shaking his head. "Before I kick both your asses so hard you won't be able to sit down for a week."

Kain noticed that Vanille was twitching. "Is something amiss, Vanille?"

"There's something going on at the end of the hallway," she said, pointing in that direction. "Flashing light and... Something magical. I can sense lots of magical energy over there."

Kain put his hand on Canti's shoulder. "Your spat can wait. Vanille's found something critical to the mission," he said sternly. "Focus on what's important now. Talk about this once we're home."

"For Minwu and I, this is home," Canti said, heading off towards the end of the hall. She tightened the grip on her spear. She could feel the energy flowing from the other side of the door. She knocked off the doorknob with the spear, causing it to come open to bombard her with that much more energy.

Minwu put his hands up, casting a Shellga around everyone. It made it only a little easier to endure. Every step all of the party members took felt like it was draining their very life away.

"I call upon your dark powers," a voice said, coming from a man in the center of the room. He put his arms up over a bubbling cauldron full of fumes more purple than the clothes he wore. "Fill me with your magic, so I may claim this land as my own!"

Suddenly there was a quake from below, causing Canti to lose her balance and stumble. She crashed into Kain, who then crashed into Vanille, and everyone just ended up being a dogpile on Minwu. The man in the center of the room had yet to notice them, because that cauldron was not emitting powers that befitted the dark god he sought to form a pact with. It was immense. Canti let out a gasp. She had felt it this close before, though she didn't remember where or when. This was the power of the Ardent! And that was the Emperor, who usually filled with evil energy, brought the world to its knees, was seeking to absorb its power instead!

"Oh shit," Canti said, picking herself up off the floor. "This isn't good..." The rest of the team formed around her, preparing to have to fight this ghastly form of the darkest wizard that had ever been known to all the realms.

"Who dares disturb my ceremony?" the Emperor asked, finally taking notice of the party.

"This ceremony is not what you wanted," Canti said, stepping forward. "Please, your imperial majesty, I beg you to fight off the power you've claimed."

"Have I... Seen you before?" he asked, coming closer to her. "Lovely blue hair, with the twin braids... I know you..."

"Sire, please, we can discuss this after we've moved you to safety," she said.

"I need no one to look after me," the Emperor growled, using one of his hands to conjure up a dark version of one of his signature spells, Flare. "I embody all that way and ever will be. I am the epitome of existence, the highest caliber of being there ever has been or ever will be."

"Does he always talk like this?" Cid asked.

"Yes," both Minwu and Canti replied quickly.

Canti took in a deep breath. "I know you are," she said, appealing to his arrogance. "I know you're the vision of beauty that all the world must look upon. But in this state, the world you wish to see you as the divinity you are will perish."

"Then I will rule the ashes," the Emperor spoke. "I am the only one fit to do so."

"Of course, oh mighty Emperor," she said. "No one is questioning that. No one will ever question that. But please, you must understand-"

"What do you mean to do by stopping this ceremony? Do you mean to usurp the greatest kingdom this world has ever seen?"

Canti shook her head. "I am begging you, sire, please... Your power is enough on its own to rule the land. You do not need to put it in danger." She got down on her knees, looking up at him. "You must stop this. We all beseech you and your intimate wisdom." Then she turned back to her party and motioned for them to follow her lead.

"...I can't believe I'm doing this..." Minwu muttered.

Eventually all of them postured before the Emperor, which caught his attention quite nicely. He was appeased enough to stare at them all, and he certainly loved how that young woman spoke to him, heralding him so nicely. All it took was for that moment of silence, when suddenly the cauldron crashed over, and the surging power of the Ardent began to fade away.

"What?!"

"This is our chance," Canti said loudly as she stared at the potion that poured out of the cauldron. " _Protect_ him!"

The rest of the team formed around the Emperor, who was angry and confused as to what was going on. "Get away from me," he said, trying to get away from the other four.

"As much as I would like to," Minwu replied, raising his staff to cast a sleep spell. Mateus tried to resist it, but he still flopped over onto Kain and Cid. "Ready."

"A cleanup team will come through here and search for traces of the Ardent," Canti said, turning to face them. She put her hand on the Emperor and activated the magic within her Keeper's badge. With a vibrant swoosh of magic, the party was brought back to right outside the painting they went into the land within the Second Realm. Canti couldn't believe she brought back this man of all people, but perhaps now, they'd ease up on her a bit. She turned to Vanille. "I need you to run to Doctor Mog's office as fast as you and and report that we've returned," she continued. "I'm going to need these three to help me keep an eye on him, just in case."

"I'll be back as soon as I can be!" Vanille chimed, racing off in that direction.

The Emperor stirred. His eyes opened slowly and when he finally stood up, he immediately pull himself away from the dragoons that had been giving him physical support. "You..." he said, looking at Canti with those dark purple eyes of his. "...I've seen you before."

"You said that while we were back at your palace," she said gently.

"Your curls, your braids... The skin the same shade as the pale moon," he continued. "You are of Mysidian blood?"

She nodded. "Yes. Specifically the Ancient tribe, which was run out of its home by dissenters over the Palamecian invasion doing all it could to hunt down all of those who held a connection to the magics of the old ways," she said, staring up at him. "Your genocide killed my people."

"Had you been found, I am sure you would have been spared slaughter. You are beautiful enough to belong to the one destined to rule over all. I would have saved you."

"Uh huh, yeah, sure, of course you would," Cid groaned. "I get that he's a handsome devil, but honestly, can we get him to shut his trap?"

"You insolent-"

The Emperor was cut off by the voice of someone else in the distance. "That will be quite enough, kupo!" Dr. Mog flew in on his tiny little bat wings, circling around before he landed right in front of the party.

"Moogle... You were all exterminated during the cleansing during my father's reign," the Emperor breathed out. "How is this possible?"

"You are now within another world entirely," Dr. Mog said. "You were in danger of being completely wiped from all existence, and we could not have that. I sent Canti there to bring you out before that happened. You should thank her."

"Canti?" the Emperor repeated her name. "In Ancient Mysidian..."

"...it means _song_ ," Canti said before she began to utter things in her home tongue at him that no one else in the room understood, aside from Minwu. Her eyes were so full of passion, so angry and sad as she went on for a good five minutes at him. Tears streamed down her face as she continued to grow much more expressive.

"I am Mateus, Emperor of Palamecia," the Emperor said to her as Dr. Mog began to direct him to follow along elsewhere. "I will not tolerate the ramblings of some tribeswoman, regardless if she saved my life." He turned away from her.

"I am not some tribeswoman," she growled. "I carry within me the blood of Deumion, and I am the daughter of the final Starsinger to ever be recognized by the Gods. I am just as much divine as you, if not more. You cannot treat me worthless, your majesty."

"Daughter of the Starsinger?" Mateus asked, smiling. "Now that is interesting. Tell me, if that is the case, do you know the ancient crystal melody?"

"That's not even a thing," she said, shaking her head.

"Then do not presume to some station beyond your true lineage."

She could barely contain how angry she was at that point, but Kain stopped her from going after him. "It's over now," he said. "You don't have to worry about him anymore. Let's get you to your room so you can rest."

"Only if you stay with me," she sighed. "Because otherwise I'm going to-"

"Get to studying?" Cid asked.

"Studying what?"

"Don't you have some sort of test coming up?" he asked. "Don't tell me you've forgotten."

"I'm not coming home from this mess just to study!" she shouted at him, stomping off towards her room. Kain followed, but the rest of the team watched those two go on.

Minwu looked over at Cid. This awkward silence was a bit too much for him to handle. "What's wrong, Cid?"

"Nothin'," he said, taking a cigarette from his goggle strap. "There's a few things I have to take care of..." He headed off in his own direction.


	3. Chapter 3

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Note: My word processor decided that I need to pay for it to use it. So this was typed up on notepad. That'll just have to do for the time being.

FIC START!

Part 3

Canti couldn't believe how infuriating Mateus was. She knew he was a haughty, arrogant person from what she read, but holy shit, there was no comparing the legends to the man himself. The Palamecian Emperor was all that the books said he was and more. A godly handsome man that exuded power unlike any other warlock she'd come across. Though there was something familiar about him. She remembered staring deep into his sharp, piercing purple eyes as she rattled off at him in her mother tongue. The nightmares she had before came back to her present thoughts, and she couldn't help but wonder about his sexual appitite. He carried himself in a way that absolutely demanded respect, with a commanding presence. Mateus really did believe down in his core that he was the be all, end all. The only one fit to rule anything. Though she'd be the first to admit that if he ever did give her an offer to do the dance between the sheets, she'd have an extremely difficult time refusing him. While he was difficult to be around, Canti found him oddly charming. Not that this made much sense, given what he'd done to her homeworld. She just couldn't get him out of her mind. He turned her on, somehow. In ways she didn't ever believe a man could. She would have given any other partner a hard time if they gave her orders, but this man, that swirled with dark magic? ...why? Why would she be so damn enthralled by him!?

Kain soon caught up with her. She was walking much slower than she usually did when going between places on campus, which didn't make much sense to the dragoon. "What was that?" he asked.

"Oh, I was just told off by some asshat, is all. My ego got bruised up a little," she replied, shaking her head. "You know me. I can be a bit too big for my britches, too."

"I'm glad you can finally admit it."

"Well excuse me," she grunted, turning to look at him. Kain was smiling at her. A gentle smile, calmer than one that would belong to most of the heroes she had teamed up with over the past few years doing this Keeper business. "Sorry. I really shouldn't have been like that, even to the man who kinda ruined my life."

"Honestly, the way he carries himself, I'm surprised you stood up to him like you did."

"It was Papa Cid who said that instead of being ready to do myself in, it's more like me to stand on the peak of the highest mountain and flip the world off, screaming at it that it's not trying hard enough to kill me," Canti replied with a little giggle. "Maybe I'm supposed to be an arrogant little shit."

"I don't think you are either extreme, Canti," he said. "Though I wanted to ask you about what Mateus mentioned."

"You mean that crystal melody?"

"That's the one."

She rolled her eyes. "That's not real."

"I do not believe someone such as the Emperor of a grand country like Palamecia would ask about something unless it was real," Kain said. "Think about it for a moment. There had to be a reason why there was a grand war between the Palamecians and your tribe, yes?"

"There is not a lot of documented history about the subject, I'm afraid," Canti said. They had now come to her dorm room, where she unlocked it so they could go inside.

"Is there not someone you could go back into your home realm and ask?"

"No. I'm the last of the Ancient Mysidians. My mother was taken by the Ardent and my father was sealed in the Arcane Labyrinth to prevent the Palamecians from ever obtaining the ultimate magics."

"...then we should go and ask him about this."

"The last time I tried that approach, I had the biggest mental breakdown of my life and the moment we came home, I applied for Erasure."

"OH."

"Damn right, oh."

Kain didn't know what kind of comfort to offer her after hearing that. He put his hand on her shoulder and she leaned her head down to acknowledge that he was doing his best. "Now I can't help but think about that," he said. "The fact that going to see your father caused you to break down so terribly that you wished to be erased from existence."

"My life's a mess," she said, trying to dismiss it.

"I can't argue that, but I can't help but think that it doesn't have to be so disjointed and dysfunctional."

"Uh, did you forget who you're talking to?"

"No. I'm being serious, my lady. You are trying to ignore the fact that you're in pain, like always."

"What? I'm not hurting! I'm just fine-"

"That brush with the Emperor earlier proves to me otherwise."

Canti stepped back from him and shook her head again. "I don't know how-"

"The first thing you have to do is stop being in denial," Kain said sternly. "How did I get over the fact that I could not have the one I coveted? By having to face it. There she is, married to the man I once considered my best friend in life, both on and off the battlefield. I could not deny that I had feelings where she did not. I could not deny the fact that their love bore fruit." He crossed his arms as he stood in front of her. "You must face whatever it is that drives you to this point head on!"

She started to shake, but he reached out to take her hands. "Kain?!"

"I told you. I will walk with you, to help you find your healing," he said. "You know you aren't alone, right? I'm not the only one who stands behind you as you face the shadows within."

She felt her eyes burn, but she did all she could to keep them in. "The truth is..."

He didn't say anything. He waited paitently for her to continue, just holding both of her hands in his to offer her some security. The last thing he wanted was for her to get lost inside her mind again. He'd been there far too many times himself.

"...I've never really come to terms with the fact that I'm an orphan," she finished her sentence, letting out a little sigh. "Not technically, but because of what happened, I was abandoned here when I was very young. I didn't even speak the language or understand anything about this place. Why things were so different. I'd been raised underground, in a cave, where the only real light was the moon that came through a natural hole at night." Canti looked down at the floor. "I was going to remain there my whole life."

"You wish you could have remained there?"

"No, I imagine that if that was the only life I had, I'd want to fly through the sky and know life above," she said, "but honestly, it's not about the cave itself. It's about the fact that my parents are dead. It's about the fact that I've felt nothing but loneliness until..." she looked back up at him, locking onto his clear, sky blue eyes. "...the day that I saved you. What's it like to grow up, knowing constant love and acceptence? Where no matter what you do, you always have someone there for you? Who is supposed to love you more than your own family? If you don't have one, then... do you just go through life without being loved?"

Suddenly he clutched her to him, wrapping his arms around her to surround her slim frame with his strength. He held her as tightly as he could. "I understand better now," he whispered gently, "Thank you for telling me."

"Kain, I..."

"If you want my humble advice," he said, still using that gentle tone of voice, "Might I suggest you finally let yourself mourn your parents."

"What?"

"In my realm, when a dragoon passes, the remains of the knight are burned by dragon fire and scattered to the winds at the highest point of whatever kingdom he served," Kain explained. "My mother died birthing me, and I was raised singlehandedly by my father. He was the only family I ever knew, until Cecil declared me his brother in arms. What I'm explaining is you carry out whatever tradition it is that sets the spirits of your parents free respectfully."

Canti pulled away from him to get a good look at her bookshelf. "The last time I stepped foot in the Arcane Labyrinth, the only way I was set free by my inner grief taking form was by my father's spirit coming to intervene," she said. "Minwu said that when they picked me up to bring me home, they found-" she grabbed a book from the shelf "-this book underneath me. Perhaps this might give me some answers as to how to do that."

"Should I leave you be so you might study it?"

She shook her head and sat down on her bed with it, then patted the space next to her. "Actually, I feel like I can handle going through this with you at my side, Kain."

"Glad to be of service, my lady," he sat down next to her, his eyes curiously fixated on the book she held.

"...you know you don't have to call me that, right?"

"What else does a knight call the lady he protects?" Kain asked. "Is there a title more appropriate?"

"Kain, are you really my knight?"

"Am I not?"

"Aren't we a little more intimate than that now?"

Kain blushed and pointed at the book. "Stay focused, please."

"Now who's in denial?"

"I'm not in denial," he said. "You're not staying focused on what's important here."

"It is important for me to know exactly how you see our relationship, though."

"I love you."

"And I love you."

"So therefore, I am your knight, and you are my lady, and-"

"Is this how romance works in Baron? Is every man who courts a woman a knight?"

Kain hid his face in his hands. "Cosmos damn it, Cantirena, please stop teasing me about this..."

"I just want to know if we're at the point where I can throw you down in bed and ride you harder than a Gold Chocobo going up Mount Hobbs!"

He felt his nose bleed. "I-I'm not o-opposed to the idea..." he said bashfully, stuttering every other word.

"Good, because after I read all this," Canti whispered, "I'm going to do just that." 


	4. Chapter 4

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Notes: Still using notepad for the time being. I might just stick with it. Or I might not. I haven't really decided.

FIC START!

Canti leaned up against her headboard, with a fire-lit lamp sitting there on her nightstand, carefully pouring over every page of that book. If she was going to find any sort of answers regarding as to what to do next, this was it. Of course, she hadn't spent time reading her mother tongue in far too long. She had to have a pad of paper and a pencil nearby to write down what she could work out just to translate it. She couldn't help but wonder if her ability to read this ancient language was fading from her mind. It was a part of who she was, so she didn't want to forget it. Aside from being from the old extinct tribe, there wasn't really much to her identity, which was something she always wanted to know more about. How could she be true to herself, if she never really knew who she was? The concept was infuriating. That kept her glued to the text. The pages were thin, many of them ripped or faded. A sign of its age. The authenticity that it was ancient. She was supposed to be an Ancient Mysidian, but really, she didn't know what that meant. She toiled many hours with that book.

Kain was there with her, though he didn't say anything. He read other books that he found in her room. Stuff about the history of flight across all realms, and how applying those studies would help those that were outside the flow of time. He found books about dragoons, too. There was a whole section about himself, which made him feel uncomfortable. Apparently, he was one of the most famous dragoons in all of history! This made him much more ashamed of his actions during the Crystal War, and of his dark side seventeen years later during the Creator's attack on his homeworld. He realized quickly, though, that the reason he had attained the rank of Holy Dragoon was because he didn't carry around the weight of his bad decisions and experiences, so he had to not cling to that feeling as he had for so long. He was just as curious to know about things from outside the flow of time. How fascinating it was!

Soon, he heard Canti's heavy breathing. He looked up from where he sat on the floor next to her bookshelf, noticing that they'd spent all this quiet time reading that the stars were all ready twinkling outside the window. He walked over to her, gently taking the pencil out of her hand and placing it on her nightstand. He did her the favor of marking where she was in the book before also moving it.

"...what are you doing?" she asked sleepily.

"Rest now," he said, bending down to kiss her forehead. "You can study this more tomorrow."

"But I wanted..." she could barely keep a thought in her head, she was so exhausted. "...to..."

"To?"

"...make love... with you..."

Kain did not expect her to insist on that. He hoped she would forget it in her search for answers. One track mind, this one. "You're much too exhausted for... that," he said as he blushed, grabbing her blanket to tuck her in. "Sleep now, and perhaps we'll get to that once all your study is finished. All right?"

"...all right," she agreed, allowing herself to be overtaken by sleep.

He reached for under the bed, finding both an extra cot and a treasure chest. Kain didn't even want to think what would be in a treasure chest underneath her bed. He knew the activities that Balthier and even Minwu engaged in with her, meaning there were tools for that exact purpose within. He left that where it was to pull out the cot and extra bedding, spreading it out enough so he could sleep, too. Any other man would have crawled into bed with her, and she'd have wanted that for sure, but Kain wasn't quite ready to make that jump yet. There was too much. Of something. He wasn't exactly sure what that something was, but it held him back from going further into the romantic aspect of their relationship. He cared for her, and he wasn't lying when he told her that he loved her. Still. As he prepared his cot and blew out the candle within the lantern to make the only light within the room come from the moon right outside the window, he lost himself in thought about that. Exactly what was it that kept him from going further with Canti?

It didn't take long for his eyelids to grow heavy. As he began to drift off to dreamland, there was a knock at the door. To keep Canti from having to wake up, he answered the door.

"Message for Keeper Canti," the guy said, putting the letter into Kain's hand.

"Is that so?" he muttered tiredly, turning back in with a loud yawn. Normally, he'd never have let that sound out of his mouth, but after living here for so long, he hadn't been so uptight about his formal manners. Perhaps that was just the time he spent around these younger keepers manifesting. Honestly, this whole experience changed who he was. It couldn't help him remembering what Canti told him and everyone else earlier, though. Eventually, they'd all have to go back. Kain put the letter on the nightstand and quietly slipped between the covers, letting sleep overtake him as well.

Cid Highwind was a man of science. He could use magic, when it made sense. Equipping materia made sense. It was a magic born of a scientific practice. Equip a stone filled with power from the planet and be granted those powers based on the kind of energy within that stone. He could handle that. But when he thought about how magic worked outside of his home realm, he couldn't wrap his head around it. He tried to cast a cure spell on Canti once while they were in a completely different realm, and without having materia on him to do it, he could not manifest that power. He couldn't access the White Wind spell without having a materia that absorbed the ability from a monster and then repeated it whenever he needed it, either. Cid was classified then as a pure dragoon, like his forefathers. Those who fought with aerial tactics, their spears being the main attraction to their battle style. As he sat out in the night, staring up at the night sky, he couldn't help but retrace his steps from just being within the Seventh Realm as the self-proclaimed captain of Rocket Town to advising other dragoons here within a university beyond the flow of time. He adopted one of their members as his own daughter and loved her as if he was the one who fathered her. But hearing her say those things in her mother tongue that he didn't understand... proclaiming her heritage as more than just the daughter of some failed astronaut. It made him think deeply about their relationship. Was he nothing more than a replacement for the family she lost? Did she really take that much pride in being the last of her kind? Or was that just to force Mateus to recognize her status as someone just as high up in the chain of command in their world? She must have been torn up inside, poor girl.

"Excuse me," a voice said behind him.

Cid turned his head just a little to see the shining Emperor they'd help save before. "Now I reckon that's the most polite thing you've ever said to anyone in your entire life," he said quietly. "How can I help you, oh great sir?"

"While I do not expect you all to treat me as the royalty that I am, I do believe I am owed a certain amount of respect," the Emperor growled at him. "I wish to speak with the maiden from earlier."

"There were two girls in the party," Cid said, shaking his head. He knew who the man wanted to speak to, but he couldn't help playing around with him a bit. "Which one?"

"How can you be so daft?"

Cid shrugged. "I'm just an airship pilot and engineer," he said. "Not one of you royal types."

"I wish to speak with the maiden with blue hair," the Emperor insisted.

"Ah. You wanna speak with my daughter."

"You do not carry the essence from our home realm. How can you be her father?"

"Long story short, she was abandoned by her birth father and I took up the mantle because if she needs anything in this life, it's a family," Cid said, turning to address the Emperor face to face. "I don't care who you are within the realm you came from, you aren't going to mess around with a Highwind. Any of us."

"A maggot with pride is still a maggot."

"You calling my baby girl a maggot?"

"No. Excuse me for confusing you. I was referring to you."

Cid stuck his right arm out and summoned his Venus Gospel into his hand. "I bet this maggot can kick your ass," he said, taking his battle stance.

"While I would thoroughly enjoy searing your insides with electricity until you cease breathing, I highly doubt the maiden with the blue hair would speak to me if I were to harm one of her companions. Especially if your bond is as you say, you being her adopted father," the Emperor said, refusing to point his staff at the angry father who stood before him. "I wish for you to arrange an audience with her as soon as possible."

"Is there a particular reason why you wanna speak with my daughter?" Cid asked.

"There are many reasons, but first and foremost, I wish to speak with her further regarding the crystal melody."

"She even said that it isn't a thing. Why do you insist that it is, even if she says that doesn't exist?"

"She must be unaware. Living here, she hasn't received the full education befitting one of the status she detailed before," the Emperor said quietly. "I spoke earlier to someone who carries the same power that surges from within her. He also had blue curls atop his crown. The young man said that he tried to bring it out of her, but he was unsuccessful."

Cid unclasped his hand, causing his spear to vanish back to the keeping place of all the weaponry. He had spoken with Cezre, Canti's older brother. He took a deep breath as he thought about that. One of the people Canti had completely forgotten about was his older brother. 'That punk has no right to say anything regarding my daughter," he grumbled. "Asshole tried to kill her to trigger some memories or something. He's the reason, the sole reason, why she ended up trying to have herself erased from existence! If it wasn't for him, that whole battle against Ciomi would not have happened!"

The Emperor sighed. "I told him that the crystal melody cannot be found through methods of fear and violence. It's a mechanism to prevent it from falling into hands that would use it for the wrong purposes. One can only learn the crystal melody through true love. There is a reason why my father coveted a Starsinger so dearly, and when he was unable to have her, he grew so hellbent on destroying the entire world." He looked up at the sky for a moment, the twinkling starlights above them providing no solace whatsoever. "I must apologize for what my family has done to hers, sincerely."

"And if she doesn't want to see you?"

"I completely understand if she would not. I have until two days from now to find placement with a keeper. The young man with the blue curls told me to speak with Canti before being assigned. If she will allow it, I can transfer to her team with no complications."

"And you want that."

"The only way I can help her realize her true potential and overcome the pain she bears within is if I were to be at her side, Sir...?"

"I'm Cid Highwind. Ace pilot and airship engineer from the Seventh Realm. Call me Cid."

Mateus nodded. "Cid, then. I expect I need no introduction."

"I expect you don't," Cid said. "You're the Emperor of Palamecia. I'm sure I overheard your name somewhere... oh, right, when Minwu was cursing your existence. Mateus."

"I do not believe Minwu will be all right working alongside me, but because I am within this realm and not assigned to a keeper, I cannot access any of my magic at present," Mateus explained. "I am not dangerous in my current state. Allow that to put you at ease, overprotective 'adopted' father." The fact that he stepped on the word adopted only pissed Cid off that much more.

"...all right. I'll tell her you want to talk."

"Thank you,"

"I wasn't finished yet. I'll tell her you want to talk, under one condition."

Mateus nodded. "Pray do tell."

Cid glared at him. "Don't get the wrong idea. If you're going to work with her, and that is your true intention, then I'll speak on your behalf. My daughter needs to heal and is emotionally weak right now. If you take advantage of this weakness because of some personal gain, I will not hesitate to completely ruin the history of the Second Realm by splitting your skull with an airship propeller."

Mateus scoffed. "Oh. Forgive me." That tone of voice. He didn't really care of Cid forgave him or not. The Emperor took his leave of the conversation after he muttered, "I accept your terms."

But Cid, even though he didn't believe he was a terribly smart man, could tell that Mateus could honestly not give a shit about what he thought. He sat back down on the bench where he had been sitting. only to pull out a cigarette and light it up. "I'll tell her, but I don't trust ya," he said quietly. He picked up a book he had sitting on the bench with him that he fully intended to read much earlier than this. There was no way he'd be going to check on Canti at the moment, because if he knew her, he all ready knew that now wasn't a time to disturb her. Either she finally had the chance to climb on Kain and have her way with him, or the two of them were curled up asleep. He flipped to the page that had been previously marked and started reading it carefully. He didn't know how early he was going to have to be up the next day, but it didn't matter. He wasn't going to be able to sleep with his mind so wrapped up in everything here lately. It hadn't been a month since Canti had applied for Erasure and Kain saved her from it when no one else seemed to be able to do it. "...Record Materia is sort of like materia from back home, but... it doesn't get power from the lifestream energy within..." he said as his eyes traced along the page. 


	5. Chapter 5

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Note: Still with notepad. I think you'll be able to tell when I'm not, because I'll have formatting back. And... Italics. I MISS THOSE.

FIC START!

Canti woke up gasping for air in the middle of the darkness, clasping her hands to her neck as if she had suddenly lost her ability to breathe. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was in her bed, covered in sweat. She didn't remember going to bed. She wasn't in her pajamas. When she turned onto her side, she saw Kain's shape under the blanket. He'd taken out the cot to sleep next to her. Canti rolled her eyes, as she wouldn't have complained one bit had he crawled in beside her. This was Kain, though. Of course. He'd grown up in a society where courting was taken very serious. Perhaps he was the conservative sort that required marriage before he'd have her? If that was the case, she'd probably never be able to have her fun with him. There was no way someone enrolled in the university would be allowed that, even if she had nearly died fighting for her right to love the heroes from within the flow of time. At least, not while a student.

She sat up, touching her finger to the wall to get a magical clock to appear. It was far too early to expect breakfast. They didn't start working on it until at least 4am. But there had to be some leftovers from the night before, right? She hadn't been caught sneaking into the kitchen in what seemed like forever, as all her recovery phase had kept her on a pretty short leash. Canti knew that her teammates meant well, but there were times where she wished she was still her own person. Having people linked to her meant there were relationships, that meant people would interfere and tell her when things weren't the right thing to do and ultimately would cause her to stop doing them only so she could save face with them. That was the benefit of being alone. No one caught her, usually. No one bothered her. Again, usually. An odd keeper here or there would make a comment. A professor or another member of the staff would say something or try to correct her. But none of those comments mattered in the least. Oftentimes, she would straight up give an obscene gesture or scream at them all sorts of colorful language. Canti faced many days alone in solitary confinement for her acting out or throwing fits. Most people in the campus saw her as someone to be avoided. Just a troubled kid that could never be saved.

It wasn't until that first time, after Kain had been rescued, when he told her to stop because it would get her in trouble, did she ever consider how her actions affected anyone else. Kain was the one who stopped her from stealing a few things. He stopped her from walking off with an extra tray of food to hide in her room when there were plenty of other students that hadn't eaten yet. But at the same time, he laughed at her jokes and he sat with her in her favorite spot on top of the highest tower on campus. He listened to her tell her story when no one would listen while they hid within the abandoned observatory that would eventually be given to her so she'd have her own place. They shared meals, they trained together, they worked together to save other teammates. It was a long journey they shared. Even though Balthier made his moves first, even though Minwu had hidden behind a farce with good intentions, even though he transferred to another team only because seeing her in a romance with other men drove him insane, he was still there, lying in that cot next to her, sleeping deeper than she could. Probably having dreams about riding the wind or flying on the back of a dragon. He might have been seeing his past, or their future. Whatever it was, as Canti pulled her robe around herself, she wished him the best dreams possible. She wished that he might have the dreams she longed for that night.

Yes, she thought to herself as she walked out of her dorm room and towards the cafeteria, if it hadn't have been for the heroes that she saved from being devoured, perhaps no one would have been able to save her. No one cared. Not that she gave them much to care about. She found a table with pots of coffee that were able to function automatically no matter the time of day for those working on homework or within the smithy, but there were no snacks. How frustrating. People got hungry all hours of the night. It would have been nice for the university cafeteria staff to do something about that. There was a light on in the kitchen, so she headed in that direction. It didn't matter who was in there. She was going to get something to eat. She'd do just like Papa Cid suggested and flip 'em off if they gave her any trouble.

"Who's there?" a voice asked from the kitchen. "You know the kitchen's closed!" A head popped out of the window, causing the curtains to part. There was a young man working in the kitchen, at this time of night? Canti had no idea who he was, so she just stared at him until he said something else. "...why are you here?"

She let out a breath. "...Nightmare," she answered softly.

Even though she didn't give any other details, he still looked concerned. It was as if this stranger understood her, without her having to say much else. "I didn't think I'd see you again," he said, with dishes clattering in the back. "...I heard about what happened."

"Seems like everyone in the whole place has," she said, her voice not really carrying much of a tone. "Everyone talks."

"You aren't lying." The chef brought out a bowl and sat it on the counter for her. "Here's a bowl of soup, if you're interested."

"I'll take it," she said, taking the bowl over to a nearby table. "Thank you, chef."

The young man stuck his head out of the window again. "...you... don't remember me?"

"I don't believe I've ever seen you before. I'd remember someone who makes a tomato soup this good," Canti said between bites. It filled her insides with a comforting warmth, staring at her core and branching out to other places within her body.

He just nodded and went back to his work of cleaning everything up, not saying another word. Eventually, all was quiet within the kitchen. Canti finished her bowl of soup with no one else having anything else to say. She did wonder how the chef left without going out the way she came in, but she didn't think much about it. People who worked in places like this usually got around with their own paths to take not privy to the ones that didn't work there. The soup made her not just feel good, but reflect on a whole lot of things. The last time she had this soup, it had been packed into a lunch with sandwiches that Minwu brought along for their picnic under the stars. She remembered dipping the sandwiches into the soup and making a mess all over herself. But that didn't stop either of them from enjoying each other's company or the nighty they shared out there alone. At least, that was the impression she had. The fact that Minwu admitted to not being truthful about all of that hurt to an extent. Truth was, even she knew it was coming eventually, too. Canti wasn't meant for anything but being alone. All of the ones she cared about weren't from here. That was just the way things were. So she tried to put on an air of toughness that no one else could see through. Of course, everyone saw through it. Everyone within her party were not the types to fall for her stupid emotionally manipulative tricks.

"I thought you'd be here."

Canti turned her head to see Kain standing there. He was wearing only the university issued pajamas, not any of his armor that he wore during the day. "Where else do I go during times like this?" she asked.

"You stress eat more than any person I've ever known," he said, coming to sit next to her. "If you don't stop that, you'll be doing your body a disservice."

"I'm not stress eating," she said, taking another bite. "Had a nightmare. Trying to calm down."

Kain sighed. "I, too, have had nightmares that would render me unable to handle coping any other way. I just wouldn't have opted for more than a light snack this time of day."

"...Did I wake you?"

"No. I was also having unpleasant dreams."

She put her hand on his. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I will, but only if you're willing to talk about yours."

She bit her lip, looking down into the bowl. It was nearly empty. "I'd rather not discuss it here?"

"Only shadows would hear you," Kain said.

"I just don't feel safe talking about things in the cafeteria, which is the most public place in this entire campus." Canti said. "Besides, shadows can have ears."

"Indeed we can," a voice replied from within the shadows. "Your caution is wise. I'm glad you've finally picked up some wisdom within all your romantic misadventures."

Canti squinted her eyes. She may have been able to see well enough, but wherever this person was hiding simply was too much for her to make out. "I'm not fond of speaking to shadows," she said. "I'd like to see who's there, if you don't mind."

Someone that had very similar facial structure to her own faded from the shadows to the dim light where both Canti and Kain could see him. His hair was curly and blue, yet longer than Canti's. Atop his nose sat a set of silver-framed glasses. "My name is Cezre," he introduced himself. "And you are Cantirena Highwind."

"I am."

"Glad that's not overbearing at all. Even Cosmos knows that if you couldn't handle an introduction properly, then you really would be worthy of being put out of the rest of our misery," Cezre said, shrugging. "Forgive me. I'm not trying to be a scathing bastard anymore, that's just in my nature. I work with villains for a living. Some of their unsightly language and behavior runs off on me from time to time. Anyhow! I really must insist that you speak with the Emperor you recovered yesterday afternoon as soon as possible."

"Mateus?" Canti asked. She'd finished the soup and pushed the bowl away a bit to signal that she was done with it. "What for?"

"After speaking with him myself, I believe he has something important to tell you," Cezre said with a smile. "You will need his help for the mission you've been assigned, after all."

"I told Dr. Mog I'm not taking any more keeper missions." Her voice was beginning to carry her trademark anger.

"This particular mission has nothing to do with Dr. Mog. He doesn't even know you've been given this assignment. However, this comes from your personal guardian eidolon, Leviathan."

"Pulling chain of command bullshit on me isn't going to work." Canti's temper wasn't going to be controlled for long. Kain put his hand on her shoulders as if to physically bring her out of it. "I'm done doing the Eidolon's dirty work and being shit on the entire way. And I don't know you, Cezre, so I've no reason to put up with you."

"You... don't remember me?" Cezre asked, flabbergasted. "You honestly don't remember me?!"

Kain stepped forward. Considering that it was the removal of her memories that gave her stability in the first place, he didn't think this was a good idea. "Cezre, the lady is tired. This is not a discussion to be had now, or ever. If she doesn't remember you, perhaps there is no reason she should remember you."

"Oh, Kain Highwind. Ever the knight his lady forgot. You almost ended up on my team alongside your sempai, Golbez."

"Perhaps it would have been better for everyone here if I had." Kain's voice was stern, stalwart. "Not that it matters now. If you would kindly leave us be, we'd appreciate it."

"Cantirena Highwind," Cezre said, not wanting to give Kain any more of his time. "If you do not decide to work alongside Mateus, I will be forced to place him within my team. You will lose your chance to benefit from his assistance-"

"What assistance am I supposed to get from him?!" she asked, reaching her left arm out to summon her Golden Spear. Before it had the chance to apparate in her hand, Cezre walked up to her and put her arm back down. "You will unhand me!"

"I will not have you attacking me when you have the clear advantage," Cezre grumbled. "I must insist that you take the new assignment, and Mateus' assistance in completing it."

"I told you, I'm not interested-"

"In completing this last mission, you can submit the application to transfer to any other department within the Royal City," Cezre said, smiling. "Come now, anyone that's known you for these last few months has picked up on the fact that you don't want this for your life. You yearn for the skies. You want to fly away from this place and every other trouble you've ever had. Take it, complete it, and the Eidolons will give you what you want more than anything else. The chance to become a pilot."

Canti gasped, and Cezre let go of her arm. The thought of that made her crack a grin that made Kain feel uncomfortable. He pulled her back towards him to give some distance between the creeper in the shadows and his lady, but Cezre did not insist to be close to her. He knew that saying that had gotten through whatever defenses she was keeping up. She hadn't been able to let go of that initial shock after hearing it. Kain grit his teeth, knowing whatever this asshole had to tell her must have been a lie, but because he couldn't tell her about those her memories had erased for her very own sanity, he couldn't say anything about him. He was surprised to see that Cezre didn't insist on getting closer. He suspected that Canti's mind would be easily influenced with the idea of her dreams coming true running about in her head like that.

"Think on it," Cezre said calmly. "An envelope was sent to your dormitory earlier. Read it and consider the offer." Then he glanced over at Kain. "Since you're the love of the week, I must insist that you do all you can to please her before she swaps you out for someone else."

"Are you seriously going to judge me!?" Canti managed to summon her spear without anyone stopping her this time. "I've made pretty bad decisions in the past, but no longer!"

"You won't be with him forever. You'll scare him away at some point, so you might as well just accept the truth," Cezre shrugged. "You'll toss him when you get bored."

"You think I got bored of Minwu?!"

"Why else would him proposing to you cause you to break down?"

"I didn't want to marry him."

"Yeah. Of course you didn't."

"He knew the truth, and because you know so much about me, why don't you know the truth? I'd been in love with Kain the whole time but because Kain never actually made a move, I never knew whether he reciprocated or not... I was confused, I didn't understand what was going on. Now I do."

"I give you a few months at most."

"At this point," Canti growled, "I'll keep him around for the rest of my life just so I can throw it in your fucking face!"

Cezre let out a hearty laugh. "Oh, dear... what will this world do with someone like you defending it?" He turned back to his shadows and slowly faded back into them.

Kain watched Canti's anger fade for a few moments before reaching out to her. Her spear vanished just as quickly as it apparated into her hand once she felt him there. "Shall we go back now?" he asked.

"I'm not sure if I'll sleep."

"I wasn't thinking of going to sleep," he said.

"Oh, finally! I get to throw you down-"

He blushed. "I wasn't thinking of that, either, my lady."

"Aww." 


	6. Chapter 6

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. You know this song and dance by now, don't you?

Note: Oh hi, notepad.

FIC START!

Kain and Canti headed back to her dorm room and crawled back into their respective beds, though she kept looking at him like she wanted him to climb into her bed with her. He had this expression on his face, like he was worried about quite a few things. He didn't bother blowing out the candle in the lantern, but he didn't really start getting cozy like he wanted to fall back asleep, either. She just stared at him while she peeked out from underneath her blanket, watching him as he went from sitting with a concerned look on his face, to lying on his back with a worried look on his face, to lying on his side with a frustrated look on his face. He seemed like he had a lot to say, but Canti was afraid to break the silence. Was he so worried about that Cezre guy appearing out of nowhere? She hated the fact that this guy just came out of the shadows only to speak as if he knew her intimately, when she'd never set eyes on him before. And the fact that he looked basically like someone had genderswapped her without her knowing pissed her off, too. But when she finally gathered up the courage to say something, Kain spoke first.

"You... must have a lot of questions," he said, rolling back onto his back to he could look at her.

"I do have a lot of questions," she agreed with a nod. "Though I'm afraid to get answers."

"Hearing that does not surprise me," Kain said with a sigh. "I thought I'd never see Cezre again. It was made pretty obvious that he was transferring to another branch of the University after what happened before."

"Who the hell is he?"

He wondered how he could put it in a way that wouldn't make her break down. "He tried to kill you a while back, and if it weren't for a Phoenix Pinion we had on hand, you really would have died," he said. "Though if you want more detail those events, I wasn't there for everything. When he first appeared, you were still with Balthier, and I had gone to another keeper. Cid was the one that warned me about Cezre."

She let out a tiny little yawn. Canti was still pretty tired, all things considered. "Why did Papa warn you about him, and not me?"

"Because of what he'd done to you..."

"You'd think I should be aware of some guy that's tried to kill me," she said, rolling her eyes. "I mean. He might try to do it again? Maybe?"

"...You know that Cid bears you no ill will. He wouldn't withhold information from you simply to leave you out," Kain tried to reassure her, but it wasn't working very well. "You know the kind of person your father is."

"Papa Cid never hides anything from me," she snapped at him, burying her head in her blanket suddenly.

"Forgive me, Canti. I did not mean to upset you."

"I'll talk to him about this later..." her voice was softer when she spoke again. "Is that note Cezre mentioned real? Did it actually come?"

"A letter came, though I do not know if it is what Cezre spoke about," he said. "It's on your nightstand."

She removed the blanket and picked up the letter to read it. She nicely opened the envelope. "You have an offer to ascend past your place as a keeper, should you wish to take it," Canti read aloud. "Journey to the Seventh Realm in the far past and make sure certain events take place as they are ordained by history's natural flow."

"The Seventh Realm," Kain repeated. "Cid's homeworld."

"Okay, so we go into the Seventh Realm to ensure that things happen as they should, sounds easy enough," Canti said with a nod. "Exactly what do they want to..." A second page fell out from the letter. It was folded differently then the page she held. "...huh? What the hell?" She unfolded that one to see the handwriting was much different. "...I don't understand..." she put the paper down and looked over at Kain, horrified.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I don't want this mission. I don't care what the reward is," she said, trembling. "I don't care what I'm supposed to do."

"What is it?!" He asked more forcefully.

She passed the letter to him. "Don't ask me to do this. No one has the right to do this."

Kain read it himself. "What cruelty," he said, "To ask this of you, of all people. This could not have come from Leviathan. It must be Cezre's plot."

"I refuse to be the reason why my Papa's dream dies," Canti said, getting out of bed. She sniffled a few times before she snatched the letter from Kain's hand and ripped it to shreds to throw it to her feet.

"I would never ask this of you," Kain said as he frowned. "No one who knows you would, unless they wished to torture you."

"I'm going to kill that bastard next time I see him," she growled. The energy around her began to fluctuate in a way that Kain had never seen before. Reading that letter had sent her into a rage, surging with the intent of murder. "I'll rip him to shreds the same way as I did his letter."

"But at the moment, you need to calm down."

"How could he dare..."

"Your anger is consuming you," Kain said, reaching to put his hand on her shoulder. "You mustn't give in to it."

She took a few deep breaths, trying to regain composure. Canti could feel her heart beat faster. She was beginning to sweat, even though she wasn't really all that hot. "But how else am I supposed to react when someone tells me the only way I can get what I want is by destroying my father's dream?!" she demanded. "Oh, yeah, you can have an airship, we'll even make it look like the exact same one your father invented in his homeworld, but only if you sabotage the rocket and cause the event that destroyed his life. Oh yeah, that sounds just peachy, let me completely be the reason why he's a broken soul on the inside. He told me about how everyone in Rocket Town gawks at him trying to fix the damn thing. He pretty much lived in it."

"But... doesn't it happen anyway? It is a part of the recorded history of the Seventh Realm that Cid's beloved rocket fails, is it not?" Kain asked.

"Yeah. But I don't wanna be the reason that it happens! That's like... condemning Papa Cid to..."

"Condemning him to becoming your father?"

She stopped for a few seconds. The impact of those words made the entire world stop moving. Her mind was frozen. She couldn't get it off of the image of Cid handing her the adoption certificate that made them legally family turning to dust. When she seemed to come out of it, she was all ready leaning into Kain's chest. "If I had the power to give him his wish, I would let him have it. I would want to give him the ability to be the man he always wanted to be. I love him that much. I would love for Cindy to still be alive, and for him to have the best life with Shera that he could ever have," she said, shaking.

Kain nodded, holding her close.

"Papa Cid is such a good person, he deserves it. He deserves all the freedom to live the life he wanted."

"But he's also happy being here, being your father. Right?"

"But is that what he really wants?"

Kain sighed. "I think it is. Why else would he have struggled so hard to keep you when you were hellbent on having yourself Erased? He could have easily gone back to the life in Rocket Town. He could have just let you go. You think for a moment that he wants to give you up? How could you ever doubt that bond?" He squeezed her to him, knowing that she needed to feel some support at this moment. "Even if you doubt me, you shouldn't doubt him. And if he knew about this proposal, I'm pretty sure he'd tell you that he'd sabotage his own rocket to be with you."

"We can't tell him."

"I thought you never hid secrets from each other."

"Well..."

"Cantirena..." Kain said scoldingly.

"...Kain?"

"Tell him everything. Please."

She looked up at him, and he looked down back at her. "I don't want to, but you're right," she agreed quietly. "I should."

He was satisfied with that answer. Kain nuzzled his cheek into her curly blue hair. "I'm proud of you."

"What for?"

"A few things," he said. "But mostly the fact that you're trying to make the right decisions. You stop to think about things before you act. The fact that you didn't just stomp out the moment I told you to do something difficult for you, like you did with me before... Yes, you're angry, but you stopped from being drawn into an uncoverable rage... I'm proud of your growth."

"Th-thank you."

"Why don't we rest a little longer?"

"...that's a good idea."

...a few hours later...

Cid Highwind woke with a few things on his mind, but the first thing was that he was going to need fuel if he was going to be able to get through the day. An airship needed fuel made of the oil from various greens, and this old grizzled bastard needed fuel made of caffiene. He pulled himself out of bed, let out a yawn grander than the one he had the day before, and wondered exactly what the day was going to bring him. He reached for his cigs, and even though he knew it was against the rules to smoke in the dorm rooms, he started to light one up anyway. As he struck the match, there was a knock at the door.

"What." His hoarse voice called out at the knocker.

"Papa Cid?"

He blew out the fire on the end of his match and put the cigarettes away. He stood up and headed over to answer the door, "You don't normally come to see me this early, baby girl," he said once he opened it. "Something up?"

Canti stood there looking up at him. She was a full head shorter than he was at the very least. "You wanna come eat breakfast with us? We've got a lot going on."

"You're tellin' me," he said. "Gimme a minute, would ya?"

"Of course!"

His days in bootcamp prepared him for being summoned quickly, which meant that it always took nearly no time for him to be ready to start the day. Cid wasn't sure if he was glad or annoyed about not having a cigarette before getting to this point, but when he saw Canti standing there, waiting for him in her University Uniform, his negative feelings just melted away. "I'm ready to eat a whole buffet," he said, walking over to her.

"I just want a full stack of donuts. I mean, up to the ceiling. Maybe like five hundred donuts. That should be enough."

"Careful about your sugar intake," he scolded her. "One or two with other food is fine, but straight sugar destroys your ability to function. You know that."

"Papa Cid."

"You know I'm right."

She looked up at him, "Yeah, I know you're right. Why you think I want them? There's so much to take care of today, I'd rather just send myself into a sugar coma again and have someone else take care of it."

"What all do we have to do?" Cid asked, shaking his head. "There can't be that much, considering."

"I don't want to have to repeat myself, so I'm not going to say anything about it until we get everyone together at the breakfast table."

When they made it to the cafeteria, their usual table was all ready mostly full. Minwu, Vanille, and Kain had all ready started eating breakfast, and they were waiting for the rest of their team to sit down. Canti and Cid made their way through the line to fill up their trays. Cid had a plate of steak and eggs with hashbrowns, and Canti had a plate of mostly fruits, and chocolate donut. When Canti saw Vanille's plate all full of sweets, she pouted at it. Vanille offered her a piece of coffeecake from her stack of five, but Cid told her it was a bad idea. To which Minwu and Kain had to agree very forcefully.

"Well shit," Canti said, poking her fork into a lump of cantaloupe, "There's a lot I have to talk with you guys about."

"I don't like that tone of voice," Minwu said quietly. "What's the matter?"

"A lot," she answered flatly.

"Don't hold us in suspense," Cid said quietly. "Spit it the fuck out all ready."

She sighed. "Last night while Kain and I were in this very cafeteria after hours, we were visited by a very mean looking guy who has a very similar face structure to my own and dark blue hair, and apparently, based on what I've just been told, murderous intentions in the past."

Cid and Minwu's faces both suddenly went from a peaceful morning breakfast sort to an eruptuous angry sort quickly. "Cezre," they both growled.

"Yeah, that's his name. Now, see, I don't know this guy for some reason. I was wondering exactly why that is?"

Minwu spoke first. "I'm not surprised you blocked out that entire experience, Canti. What you went through because of Cezre was nothing short of horrific. You don't need to remember him. You're well protected from him now."

"That's funny," she said, looking straight at him. "Because he just kinda snuck up on me and Kain, appearing right out of the shadows on the cafeteria wall. I didn't even know that was possible until I saw him literally unmeld himself from the shadows on the wall. Tell me how that's supposed to help me feel safe, and I'll tell you how you're full of shit."

"No, no, you have every right to be concerned about something like that," Minwu said, not raising his voice at her. He didn't even blink when she told him that he was full of shit. "Considering your mental instability was provoked because of what he tried to do to you, we all thought it would be a good idea not to remind you of what he'd done. Even as a safety measure."

"You all. Decided?"

Kain said, "To my defense, I wasn't a part of the party to make that decision. However, in retrospect, I do agree that it was the right one."

"So now that I'm aware of this situation, the hell do we do about it?" Canti asked.

"Hunt the fucker down and impale him on a rain of spears?" Cid asked playfully. "Because I know if we had his wereabouts, that's what we'd be doing."

"Papa Cid, be serious."

"I am being serious."

"Well that's not going to help us take care of-"

"Excuse me," a voice came from behind her. "I do hate to interrupt, but if I may speak with you..."

Canti turned her head to see the lovely Emperor Mateus wearing lowly university issued clothing, holding a breakfast tray with a look on his face that indicated he was over all of this nightmare about fifty years ago. It was odd to see him without all of his decorations and ornamentation, and without his hair being hoisted up by a billion bobby pins laced with pastel colored beads, it was long enough to drag the ground. He certainly wasn't used to living without attendants to take care of him or his luxurious blonde mop. "...good morning, dear Emperor," she said trying not to giggle at how adorable he was when he wasn't made out to be incredibly intimidating. "Guys, make room."

No one really wanted to move over.

"Make some room!" she insisted, and they finally made some space. Once they were done, though, all of Canti's team were squeezed onto one side of the table while Mateus had an entire half of the table to himself. Canti didn't mind being squished up against Kain by her father's intruding shoulder so badly, but she hadn't finished her breakfast yet and she was quite hungry. "Oh for fuck's sake, you guys."

"No, no, I understand," Mateus spoke coolly. "Though perhaps it might work better if you and I were to speak alone."

"This is fine," she said, using all the force of her hip to force Cid to give her some space enough to not have to use Kain's breastplate as a dinnerplate. It made Vanille and Minwu move over just enough. "What is it that you want to say to me?"

"I wished to speak with you about joining your team."

Minwu said, "oh..."

Cid frowned, "hell."

Kain whispered, hoping that she'd listen to him, "no."

"Why do you want to be on my team?" Canti asked curiously. "Because the last time we spoke, you seemed-"

"Forgive me for acting out of turn," Mateus said, sipping on a cup of hot tea. "I did not understand how things worked here. I know what my family has done to yours and ultimately, I want nothing more than to help you. I... owe you that."

Minwu couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You might sound humble for the moment, but you're always scheming something. There's no way you'd want to join this team without an alterior motive."

"I am also what caused your death," Mateus said. "You see, when you come to a place like this, isn't it hard to sleep your first night? All you do is read up about yourself, and you see how history has depicted you. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, many of the papers I read were penned by Miss Cantirena herself."

"They call me a Second Realm expert," Canti answered. "I'm not sure if I really qualify, but I'm not going to argue it."

"My point is that I'm sure I can be of use to you somehow while you are taking care of your responsibilities."

"While I don't doubt that for a moment, a keeper is only allowed four heroes at any given time," she continued. "You're asking me to part with a member of my team that's been around for quite some time. Everyone here is like family to me."

"Except for your adopted father," Mateus said.

"Hey. Don't say that," Vanille hissed at him. "That's rude!"

"That may be, but I'm nothing less than honest."

Canti grunted. "Papa Cid is my father and you'll treat him with respect." She glared at Mateus, sending him a clear message. "My party, my rules. Understand?" It made everyone else on her team question everything they knew about her. Canti wasn't the type to command that way, even when she was pissed off. Then again, no one in the party ever questioned the legitimacy of the relationship between Canti and Cid.

"What is there not to understand about the chain of command?" Mateus asked. "You exemplify traits befitting that of a queen. I admire that."

"I'm not interested in you flirting with me."

"Did I sound as if I was trying to court you? Pardon me, my lady."

Cid shook his head. "Cosmos Almighty, I think I've had enough of this banter to last me a lifetime. Baby girl, when you decide what to do with him, let me know. I need to step outside."

"All right, Papa," she said as he stood up and headed out. "Listen. I know of your station and rank, but when you join my party, you'll have to listen to me. I'm what keeps you safe when we're out in the flow of time. Being out there is dangerous."

"I'm aware of the risks."

"If you don't listen to me, you can very well end up being devoured by the darkness," she continued. "So while in your homeworld, you're the head of the most powerful land that's ever existed, living in the grandest palace that's probably ever been built in all of the Realms history, you'll still be the same rank as Papa Cid, Kain, Minwu, or anyone else that's ever come and gone."

"I almost miss Quistis," Kain said, awash for a moment in nostalgia.

"Almost?" Minwu asked.

"She was amazing in battle, just difficult to get along with out of battle," Canti said. "Reminds me a lot of myself, honestly. That uncertainty about the future, especially about the idea of family?" She nodded. "I was in that spot until Papa Cid came along. I understood what she was going through and it was a totally amicable split. People come and go. Some can handle me and some can't. That's just how life is."

"She was happy for you," Vanille said sweetly. "When we told her about Cid's decision."

"I hope one day she's able to finally have that, too. It's the one thing orphans want more than anything in the whole world."

Mateus hadn't removed his eyes from Canti even while he ate his very prim and proper breakfast with eggs, English muffins, and tea. He watched every movement carefully, tracking her dynamic expressions that changed even mid-sentence. She was an emotional whirlwind and, based on what he'd seen, easy to force into certain reactions. "What will I need to do to prove to you that I wish for a position within your party, Miss Cantirena?" he said, completely interrupting what everyone else was talking about on the other side of the table.

She concentrated back on him, noticing that he was still watching her. "I'm not going to make you swear a vow or do a task for me, No one else did any of that," Canti said plainly, finishing up her fruit bowl and picking up her donut. Ah, glorious donut. She was only going to be allowed one every morning now, so she knew she was going to have to make it count. "If you want on my team, that's great. I don't mind."

"I must thank you-"

"But. All the spots are completely filled. I have four Heroes assigned to me, and right now I am not allowed to have any more. Papa Cid, Kain, Minwu, and Vanille."

"So there's really nothing you can do right now," Mateus said. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

"That's just how it is. No hard feelings."

"No," the Emperor's voice was almost as quiet as a whisper. "I do not hold a grudge over this." He put his hands on the sides of his tray and stood up. "If you happen to have an opening in your team's roster, let me know."

"I'll do that."

Mateus turned around and walked off with his tray.

"Well that was like pulling teeth," Canti said, scratching her ear. "There was something else I wanted to talk to the team about... I've all ready forgot about what it was. Oh well. Finish breakfast! I'll stop by to do my morning report and we'll find out what's the news of the day." 


	7. Chapter 7

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Note: Same notepad, different day.

FIC START!

Part 7

After breakfast was finished, the team felt mildly good about how the day was to go. Canti led them all over to a gigantic message board that she was known to check every day. Each keeper was given a basic directive, and they were to find something to do within that directive every day. She searched for her name, and found her square on the chart colored red, which made her frown. Another visit to the Doctor's office? Wasn't she just there yesterday? Whatever. This meant she would have a chance to discuss that upgrade to living space she asked for in agreement for recovering the Emperor Mateus.

"Okay, team," she said, grunting. "Stand by. I'll come back with our orders."

"Sounds good," Cid said, ruffling a little hair before she turned to walk off. Once he knew she was out of earshot, his expression turned downright nasty. "What. The. Hell. Is going on right now?"

"I would like to know as well," Minwu agreed quietly. "Our keeper isn't exactly herself this morning."

Kain hesitated before saying, "She thinks we all hid something vital from her. Can you honestly blame her for being distant?"

"But this isn't something we can just tell her," Vanille insisted. "Because that means we'd have to tell her about all the other memories that were removed, too..." She pouted as she looked down at the floor tiles, fidgeting with her fur=lined boots. She knew what that was like better than all of them. When she and Fang woke up out of their crystal sleep, she remembered everything and kept it all from Fang just so they wouldn't have to face their true destiny. Having to do it again made her heart ache. Based on her experience, everyone you hide the truth from finds out about it eventually, but having to face that moment was more than she could handle right now, so she was just going to act like the happy Vanille she'd always been. Just being the way everyone thought she should be.

Kain sighed. "I'm going to check on her."

"You mean eavesdrop again?" Minwu asked.

"...clearly."

Canti waited until the good doctor had the time to deal with her. She wasn't the type to just sit and wait very well, though. She paced back and forth, wondering exactly what she'd done wrong yet again. She'd spent far too much time in her life waiting in front of that door that she wasn't really all that nervous about it. She just wanted to get the punishment over all ready. When the door opened and she knew it was time to go in, she marched right in there and stood in the center of the room, turning to face the massive desk that was the workstation of just one moogle.

"I'm reporting in, sir," she said, bowing a little as was the tradition.

"So you are, kupo," Dr. Mog said, fluttering his wings. "I'm glad to see you here so early!"

"Just get my punishment over with, please..." Canti said, frowning.

"Punishment, kupo?" Dr. Mog asked. He shook his head. "No, no, Canti, you've done quite well for yourself, kupo! The mission went mostly without a hitch. I'm happy with the fact that you've completed the assignment that I've given you with no problems. Sure, there was a little difficulty for the cleanup team after you, kupo, but that couldn't be helped." He flew over his desk and put a key in her hand. "This is to your new living quarters. Congratulations, kupo."

"Y-you're serious?!" she looked down at the key. Instantly she decided she was going to turn it into a necklace, because she was going to lose this pretty damn fast if she didn't.

"That is what you asked for, isn't it?" Dr. Mog said, "I fully expect to see you moved by the end of the week, if you can manage that."

"Of course I can manage that!"

"Ah, right. There's another thing."

"I don't want any more keeper missions, doc," she said. "I all ready told you that I'd really prefer not to-"

"Kupo!" Dr. Mog interjected. "It's not that!" He pointed over to a poster that was hanging on one of the walls of his office. "It's that time of year again!"

"The Spring Music Festival," Canti read it aloud. "It's that time again all ready?!"

"In one more lunar cycle, yes."

"Well... I've done it every year."

"Yes, you have, and every year, we've all enjoyed it immensely," Dr. Mog said with a smile. "You and your team, plus whatever keeper-less heroes wish to help you, may be set to work on this. I won't have you anywhere but on campus until the end of the Spring Music Festival. One year you..." he stopped himself before he said anything else.

"One year I... _what_?" Canti asked, cocking her head to the side. "What did I do?"

"It's... nothing, kuuupo."

"Clearly it's... something..." she muttered.

"Go on. You get a start on leading the music festival, Canti. Don't let us down, all right?"

"Oh, yes, sir!" Canti said, gripping her key before shoving it into her pocket. This meant that Kain would be able to stay with her! Maybe even other members of her team could, too! She wouldn't have to be in that stuffy, tiny dormitory with barely any room all by herself anymore. Though the way Dr. Mog trailed off like that, it seemed as if something was massively wrong. Strange, though. She'd remember if she fucked up a previous music festival somehow. If something like that happened, Canti wouldn't have been able to live that down. No one would be able to stop reminding her that it happened. She turned around to leave, lost in thought. "Call on me again if you need me, doc."

"Of course I will, kupo. Keep up your good effort."

"...good effort, huh...?" she asked quietly as she walked out of the office and headed to the main foyer. There she was greeted by Kain.

"And what will we be doing today?" Kain asked, trying not to seem as if he heard everything from above. Dragoons had the ability to be just as sneaky as ninjas!

"Quite a bit, actually," Canti said. "But I don't want to repeat myself, so let's get together with everyone!"

* * *

"So!" Canti said, reaching into her pocket. "I got exactly what I asked for as a reward for our last mission!" She showed them the key and grinned widely.

"Oh ho!" Cid laughed, patting Kain on the back. "I fully expect grandbabies now." Kain had never blushed so hard before in his life.

"P-PAPA!" she yelled, whacking him with her left hand.

"I'm just sayin'. This is you we're talking about," Cid said, only causing Minwu to nod in agreement. "But I'm totally fine with Kain being their father."

"Papa Cid! Stop!"

The entire party laughed as Canti turned into a blushy blob in her chair.

"Was there anything else besides that?" Minwu asked. "Do we have any assignments?"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" she said. "We're on Music Festival duty until it's over! That means I can't leave campus at all, and even keeperless heroes can come to help out if they want to. It's all volunteer work, but I've done it the last few years, so."

"Oh..." Cid scratched the back of his head a little. "Music Festival time again, huh?"

"That's always lots of fun!" Vanille chimed. "You do a great job every time as the main coordinator! I remember last year when-"

Minwu slapped his hand over Vanille's mouth before she said anything. "Might I recommend that today we set up something to attract others over to assisting with the setup of the festival?" he asked

"Wait. What happened last year?" Canti asked.

"Oh, well, you got hurt..." Cid said hestitantly. "Was no big deal, really."

"Papa... are you hiding something from me?" she glared at him.

"No, no, not at all. I would never hide anything from my baby girl!" Cid said, ruffling her curly blue hair. "Minwu's right! Let's drum up some attention and see if we can convince all the lazy kids into helping!"

"Let's set up a karaoke station in the main foyer!" Canti said. "If we're all singing and having fun..."

Kain shook his head. "That could... work..."

She stood up and said, "Okay! I'm going to get the equipment from the music department. You four, set up the temporary stage over there between the apple and peach trees! Understood?"

"...we'll begin setting up the stage," Kain said quietly and they all watched her run off excitedly.

"This doesn't bode very well," Minwu whispered. "I do not sense good fortune from this."

"I'm not even capable of magic and I can sense nothing good from this," Cid grunted. "The Music Festival, huh?"

"Well the rule this time says she can't even leave campus while she's the director of the music festival," Vanille said. "She won't get hurt this time."

"But Cezre has returned," Kain said. "That's the worst thing since..."

"...since Mateus asking to join the team..." Minwu said, rolling his eyes.

"We'd better get to work," Cid said. "Setting up that stage won't be too hard... but... Everyone do your best to make damn sure that nothing happens this year. For fuck's sake. Last year's music festival was the beginning of the end..."

* * *

Canti found the first music room extremely quiet. She hadn't been in here for a long time. She couldn't remember the exact last time she was here, digging through all the wires and the sheet music stands looking for things she'd need, though. When was that? She thought about it as she gathered up the nicest karaoke machine she could find into a wagon. She used to have to ask for help to do this, but she noticed she'd grown stronger since the last time she carried this thing. But. When WAS the last time she'd been in here? Canti figured it had to have been during the last music festival. There was one every single year, after all. And ever since she could remember, she helped out with it. Last few years, she'd been asked to lead it. There was always a grand concert at the very end, where she was not only the host to many acts, but she'd sing and dance on stage herself. Once, she did a cover of "Kiss Me Goodbye" which was a love ballad from the Twelfth Realm. It was a powerful movement, where Balthier provided backup vocals to her lead. And then... she stopped, tears sliding down her face as she started to think about it. He had always been close to her, and they chose that song together. But something happened, didn't it? Something happened while they were singing that exact song... something she couldn't remember...

As she moved, carrying speakers, her foot got caught in a bundle of wires and she fell to the floor. "Oww!"

"Do you need some help?" a voice asked behind her. It was a deep voice, one that was very easy to sink into. Relaxing. Calming. Almost disorienting.

"No, I'm all right," Canti said, trying to pull her foot out on her own. They were quite stuck.

"Here, let me help you," the voice said again, pulling the wires off her feet. "You should have come back here with some assistance."

She didn't even look at the man who helped her. "Thank you, but..." she picked up speakers and loaded them into the wagon. "...I can handle myself. I normally don't trip like that."

"You're quite infamous for your clumsiness," the man said gently. "Everyone has something to say about things you've broken or done simply because you do not have a sense of balance. Or regard for your surroundings."

"I'm a dragoon! I have a... decent sense of balance..."

The man let out a chuckle. When she turned to see who he was, he was mostly covered in shadow. She didn't turn the light on in here at all, which was something she should have done, now that she thought about it. "You're adorable, when you aren't putting up that act of toughness."

Canti was confused. What was it about his mannerisms that made him seem so familiar? "I'm sorry, this might be a little strange, but... do I know you?"

"You saved my life. I would think you do."

"I feel as if I've... known you for a long time... like I've dreamt about you..."

"Good dreams, I hope."

"Only good ones."

"I would listen to you give every detail, if you have the time."

"Actually, no, I'm on assignment," Canti said, turning back to the work she was doing before. This stranger excited her in ways she knew she'd felt before, but she certainly didn't remember those feelings. "I'm going to be leading the Spring Music Festival, and..."

"Rumors about that you're adept in musical arts."

"Rumors?" Canti asked. "I thought it was pretty damn well known that I'm a vocalist. I've been on stage for every musical festival since I was brought here..."

"I haven't been here to see them, sadly."

"Well..." she said, "My party and I, we'll be setting up a stage in the foyer to generate interest in the music festival today."

"You will sing today?"

"If it means we'll get more help with setting up the festival, then I'll do it. I love music almost as much as I love flying. I want the whole world to celebrate music. All kinds of music from all around the world, uniting us all... it's such a peaceful thing that I can't help throw myself into it," Canti confessed to the stranger. She didn't care who it was, she felt as if it was safe enough to tell him this. She could have told the whole world this, as loud as possible, standing atop the highest mountain in all the Realms of Fantasy, and hoped that maybe it could change the world. "Music could save us all."

"Indeed..."

She felt her cheeks alight with blush, regardless if it could be seen or not. "So, if... you want to come to the foyer and sign up to help with the Music Festival, please..."

"I would be honored to assist in such a noble cause," the deep voice said gently. "Just as honored as I would be to assist you right now."

Canti lifted up the last speaker she needed and made sure all the cords were kept far away from the axels of the wheels. Last thing she wanted was to get them tied up and keep her that much more busy. "Oh, no, I think I'll be fine now. Th-thank you for helping me with my foot. Last thing I need is my party coming, worried about me over something so silly! They can be so overprotective that it gets sweltering sometimes..."

"They only wish to protect you from all that would seek to harm you... you should be thankful to them for what they do for you."

"Oh I am, it's just... I'm so used to being alone. I've never had people who cared like they do."

"What... if... they never had to leave you?"

"Huh?"

"What if... your party members didn't have to go back to their realms?"

She shook her head. "I'm a keeper, I know the rules. And so do you."

His hand landed over her lips softly, which caused her heart to skip a beat. "I must go now. Dream of me again, will you?" he asked as he suddenly left her in there, wondering exactly what all that mess was. "Sing. I will hear." And with that, his presence was gone.

She put her hand where his was on her lips, retracing the moment. Everything about that mystery man left her not only wanting more, but curious as to who he was. She could have listened to that voice for all of eternity. Just hearing him tell her to sing motivated her further to want to get up on that stage to sing her heart out. She wanted to obey that voice, to curl up in that presence. "I will," she whispered. "I will sing. So listen to me." She heard footsteps coming down the hall and hurriedly grabbed onto the handle of the wagon so she could pull it where she needed it to go. "All right, we're ready to get started!"

* * *

Kain paced back and forth. It wasn't like him to be so nervous, but here he was, on the very tip of his nerves, unable to control himself. He was the type to always keep his composure, to never react to anything. Perhaps he had been around Canti far too long, and she was rubbing off on him. And until he saw Canti pulling the wagon up to the stage that Vanille, Minwu, Cid, and he had built together, he was worried to high hell.

"I have the karaoke system and four speakers," she said.

"What took so long?" Vanille asked.

"All the wires were a complete mess. I fell over and had a hard time getting myself out," she answered honestly, though she didn't tell the full story.

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" Minwu asked.

"Not at all," she said, still able to feel where that mystery man had placed his hand upon her face. That was going to linger there for a while, wasn't it? She wondered if that was a blessing or a curse. "So! Papa Cid!"

"Yes, pumpkin?"

"You're the electronics expert! You can do the setting up!"

"I'm a mechanic, darlin', I'm not an electrician..."

"Everyone else here is from a world that doesn't have electronics."

Vanille raised her hand. "My world has electronics! The save points were like those things you call ATMs! I'll do it, I'll do it!"

Canti crossed her arms. "...Papa Cid, do you really want Vanille setting up the wires on stage?"

Cid immediately stood up and started to get to work.

"That's what I thought," she said, letting out a little laugh. "Kain, can you help with the background of the stage?"

"Of course, my lady," Kain said, taking the cloth banner in his hands and jumping up to the ceiling to attach it so that it looked like the stage had music notes flying around behind it. When he landed next to her, she gave him a hug. It made him give a gentle smile in return. "Y-you didn't have to... do that..."

"Yes, I do," she whispered, gripping to him tightly.

"Is there something wrong?" Kain asked. "Something seems... odd with you."

"Well, yes. All of today feels weird!" Canti said loudly. "Every aspect of today has felt weird from breakfast to this very moment!"

"I have to agree with that assessment," Minwu said. "The energies today feel nothing short of... strange."

"So. I wanted to just... hold onto you for a minute," she said, looking up at Kain. "To just... ground myself in the moment. Right now is what matters, right?"

"Absolutely," Kain agreed, returning the hug.

"I don't... want to lose you," she whispered. "Any of you."

"Is this what troubles you?" he whispered in return, trying not to catch anyone else's attention.

"It does."

"We can talk about this later, when we have time alone, yes?"

"I'd love that."

He gripped around her tighter to offer some reassurance. "But right now," he said, loud enough for the rest of the party to hear. "It's time to get started."

"Time to work your magic," Vanille said, fishing out a microphone out of the wagon.

"My magic, huh?" Canti asked, taking the mic and climbing onto the stage. She tapped the mic. No sound. So she turned it on and tapped it again. There it was! She put her hand over the mircophone and smiled at the rest of her party. "Minwu, you run the sign-up desk, okay?"

"Easy," Minwu replied, heading over there and putting up a sign that read 'SIGN UP TO HELP!'.

"Vanille, keep whatever people that come up here engaged."

"I can do that!"

"Papa Cid, Kain..."

"Yes?" they both asked, awaiting orders.

"Stand by, just in case I need you."

"Consider it done," Kain said as Cid just nodded in agreement.

Canti tapped on the mircophone again and said clearly, "Good morning, Corneria! If you're listening, why don't you come over here! Today marks one month from the Spring Music Festival, which is a week-long celebration of all things musical throughout all the realms! I am the coordinator of the event and I need as much help as I can get setting up all sorts of things!"

But no one even seemed remotely interested.

"Weird," she said. "HEY! PEOPLE!"

Still nothing.

"Okay...?" she said. "Papa, did you set up the speakers right? Can they just not hear me?"

"I think those people are ignoring you, pumpkin."

"What? Why would they ignore me? What have I done to deserve being ignored?"

The rest of her party looked at each other hesitantly. They weren't sure how, or if they should, answer that.

"Thanks a lot, you guys," Canti grunted. She gripped the microphone in her hands again, turning to who ever would lend an ear. "Who wants to sing karaoke?!"

It took a few moments, but a few people came over to the stage. Some of them were heroes that Canti knew, and some were heroes that she hadn't had the chance to directly meet. Standing behind everyone else was Balthier, looking directly at her. He had a smile on his face, standing next to Fran. For a moment, Canti and Balthier shared a longing gaze similar to the way it was before. She didn't hear any of the other clamor going on around her, and his eyes were the only things she could focus on.

"Balthier," she said into the mic, making everyone turn to him. "Would you like to sing?"

"Oh, no, princess, I wouldn't dare take your stage from you," he answered smoothly.

"I'm not singing just yet," she said. "I want to give everyone else a chance first. So, please. I know you can carry a tune."

"A-actually," Cid said, snatching another hero, Setzer by the arm randomly out of the crowd, "This feller here volunteers to go first! Don't you, uh... feller?"

"Who are you to-" Setzer began to ask before Cid cut him off again.

"You'll do it, or you are getting skewered by the entire Highwind family," Cid muttered in his ear, forcing Setzer upon the stage.

"...oh..." Canti said, passing the mic to Setzer and hopping off the stage to land in the middle of everyone that had come around to see what was going on. "Okay, my lovely sky pirate, why did you not want to sing? I thought you liked adoration from fans?"

"Oh, I do appreciate the adoring lady or two," Balthier said, reaching up to ruffle her hair affectionately. "However, the last thing I want is to repeat something we've seen before. My act must be fresh to be the most effective."

"You mean you don't have anything new to sing right now? Well that's not what karaoke is for!"

"I'm dreadfully sorry, princess. I am not going to sing today no matter how cute your expression gets... I simply cannot."

"All right. I'll accept that, under one condition," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Name it," Balthier said. "I will retrieve for you any treasure you could ask for, including, but not limited to, your favorite cake."

"I don't want a cake from you," she said. "I want you to sing at the actual festival! Please! That'll give you time to come up with a fresh act!"

"I... really..." he frowned for a moment. "I... wish I could do that for you."

"What?" she asked. "But... you're one of the best singers I know within the entire realm, and..."

"I can't participate in the Spring Music Festival, princess. Not anymore. But I can wish you all the best with it."

"Balthier, I..." she looked away from him, obviously being extremely disappointed with that news. "...I know I sang with you last year at the festival... and... you must be... so mad at me."

"No, no. I could never be angry with you," he said, pulling her close to him. "Especially not over sharing a duet with me. It was a beautiful, powerful piece."

"What did I do?" she asked, gripping to him.

"You didn't," he replied sadly, kissing her forehead. "Now go be the good hostess I know you are. Your father is having a hard time with the karaoke machine." He let her go and gave her a gentle push in that direction. "Don't get distracted. You are the main coordinator of an entire university-wide celebration for a reason, princess."

She couldn't help but be confused by his reply, but she climbed back on stage and started trying to engage the crowd anyway.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Fran asked as she and Balthier passed through the crowd. They were walking away as more people were coming closer.

"It doesn't matter what I want right now."

"Do not betray your heart." she said. "You love her."

"I won't deny that. But after what happened last year, I don't want any involvement."

"Ah. I remember."

"I will enjoy it from afar for now. If she is in any danger-"

"You will rush in to rescue your princess."

"Nothing less for a leading man."

"You've become a cameo."

"How cruel a viera's tongue can be."


	8. Chapter 8

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Note: oh hai notepad

FIC START!

Part 8

Several different heroes and keepers with different levels of musical ability had gone up to sing or dance, keeping everyone that had gathered around the stage very energized. There were all ready a few people that signed up to help. Either with setting up, running booths, or becoming acts for the different presentations that would be going on during the festival. Minwu wrote down all sorts of suggestions given to those who had come in and out, eventually getting to everyone that had approached them. Canti felt as if the entire morning had been a success in drumming up interest about the Music Festival, and boy was she excited!

"Last song before lunchtime," Canti said into the mic, causing people to cheer. "Who wants it?!"

One of the people in the crowd that had been watching for quite a while was someone she had seen just that morning during breakfast. He stood there, looking far less intimidating in university-provided clothing than he would in the clothes he wore in his homerealm, watching her every action. "You have yet to sing today," he said.

",,,Emperor," she said, blushing at the suggestion. "Oh, no, this is for everyone else to have fun, I couldn't-"

"No, he's right for once," someone else said in the audience. "You should sing!"

"Yeah!" more people agreed.

"You're the hostess, you should show us your passion for music!" another said.

She stared at Mateus as he just tipped his head in the direction of the audience members that had supported his suggestion. "You should not disappoint them," he said, not even speaking loudly. "Or me."

While Minwu didn't want to give Mateus a second glance, Canti put the microphone on its stand and said, "All right, all right. You want me to sing the last one?"

The rest of the crowd cheered at that.

"All right... let me show you something," she said, adjusting the mic stand to be at the perfect height. She leaned it over so it looked almost like she was hugging it, and said, "The first thing you have to do if you want to bring out the music within is feel it..." she gave her hips a shove outward. "Let the music in you take control." She shifted her hip onto the other side. "It knows how you want to move more than you do, so let it..." With that, her whole body was swaying and there was not even music playing. But as she swayed, the audience swayed with her. "...lead. You don't hear a song, do you? Nothing is playing... but there's still a beat. I feel it, and as you move along with me, you feel it, too. It's a nice beat, yes? Let's let it go a little further, then." She put her hand up and sang a high note that rang through the entire foyer, causing even those with no interest at all in what she was doing to look over. "You know what's on my mind... you hear it, don't you? Of course you do! Have a piece of musical history, friends."

As she belted out a few more notes, Cid walked over to Kain and pulled him behind the cloth banner that he'd set up earlier. "Something about this isn't sitting right with me... I know she's highly geared to preformance arts, but... does something feel off to you?"

"Your daughter's a bard. She's going to make people feel like... this," Kain said. "I have a bard friend, and he was able to do weird things with his voice. Women flocked around him. Not only was he fairer than the Lady of Baron, but he could sing them into a stupor. Which..."

Canti started singing a song instead of just egging the crowd on, and everyone that had waited for her to sing was rewarded with her angelic voice.

"...I imagine she's doing currently," he finished. "I could very well be under that trance, if I were looking at her." As it was, he all ready felt the need to hold her close to him just listening to it.

"You're attracted to it," Cid nudged him.

"If she wasn't your daughter, you'd be attracted to it, too," Kain said, shaking his head. "We should continue our duty of assistance."

"Yeah, we should," Cid said, heading out from behind the cloth curtain background to see the crowd were all swaying and getting into the groove with her lead. He was always impressed with how well she could do that. Why'd she decide to become a dragoon again if she could do this so well? Even instructors, professors, moogles, heroes and keepers were all together jamming with Canti's act. There was no wonder as to why she was chosen to lead the Music Festival.

 _"If the squeaky wheels always gettin' the grease_  
 _I'm totally devoted to disturbing the peace_  
 _And I'll do it again when I get done_  
 _until I become your number one!_  
 _No method to the madness and no means to escape,_  
 _Gonna break every rule, bend them all out of shape,_  
 _It ain't a question of how, just a matter of when,_  
 _You get the message that I'm tryin' to send?_  
 _I'm under a spell, I'm in over my head,_  
 _And you know I'm going all of the way to the end..._  
 _To STAND OUT! Above the crowd,_  
 _even if I got to shout out loud,_  
 _Til mine is the only face you'll see,_  
 _Gonna STAND OUT til you notice me!"_

Vanille was dancing and clapping along with the rest of the audience. Once she found Fang, and her recent best friend Selphie, she was more than happy to let loose and have fun. Cid couldn't help but tap his foot along to it as she kept going, hitting higher and higher notes. Kain was on the other side of the audience bobbing his head along with it. Minwu noticed that she didn't have any background music with her - she was carrying this sort of excitement just with her voice alone. Those who knew the song were singing along, too. And people from all over ths school were coming over faster and faster, many of them convinced to sign the help sheet almost immediately once they saw her passion. Canti danced along the edge of the stage, throwing herself into every movement and every word, making winks and pointing at many audience members until it was over.

The audience gave an uproar of applause. When Canti bowed over, many of them shouted for an encore, She said into the mic, "Oh you guys. If you keep asking, I'll have to give it to you... but it's lunchtime, and I'm famished!"

"Have a concert!" one guy shouted from the crowd.

"Oh, no. That's for the Spring Music Festival. If you want to be a part of it, to audition to be an act or helping with other things, I humbly ask you to sign up so we can coordinate!" she said, pointing to Minwu's table with the sign up sheet. Thank you very much for having fun with me! It's always fun seeing you dance and sing along!" Canti blew out kisses to the audience before turning off the mic.

"Should we leave the stage up?" Kain asked.

"Yep. We'll be doing this for the first week to drum up excitement in the mornings, and in the afternoon, it's all about setting up things with other students, faculty, and anyone else that wants to help," Canti said, smiling. As she walked by Kain, she planted a kiss on his cheek. "But right now? It's time to eat! I want fried potatoes today~ A whole truckload!"

Kain blushed a little. "I'd like to eat pork roast, if it's on today's menu."

"I'm dying for a T-bone steak," Cid said, following her.

"I'm love a salad," Minwu said, getting up from the table.

Cid laughed. "Okay, yeah, sure."

Vanille ran up from behind them and said, "I wanna eat ice cream!"

"That sounds fantastic, too!" Canti agreed.

"Better watch that sugar..." both Minwu and Cid reminded her.

"Awww..." both girls whimpered.

As they were headed off and the gathered audience began to slowly filter back to daily life, Mateus picked up the clipboard full of names that were signatures of people willing to help with the Spring Music Festival. He read through it and put it back down before picking up the pen and signing his own name. He was in complete awe of her ability to hold an audience like that. Perhaps she really was the inheritor of the power of the Starsinger after all, he thought.

"Impressive," came a voice from the shadow. "Isn't it?"

"You do not lie," he answered the shadows. "I would make her mine."

"Easily done, if you are willing to help me with what I want..."

"You would sell your own sister? What cruelty."

"It's not that cruel. She's all ready fallen for features that belong to you once before."

"Is that so?"

"And with those memories missing... it wouldn't be too hard for you to take that place..."

"I see. How fortuitous." That would explain why she felt so familiar with him even though she didn't know it was him. He wondered for a moment who could have a voice like his, but the thought left him just as soon as it had arrived. It did not matter who, but it did matter that this was something he could easily take advantage of. He would have to engineer another shadow enounter, alone with her as soon as possible. Mateus placed the clipboard back on the table and headed in the direction of the cafeteria. Roasted chimera steak and malboro tentacle pasta sounded absolutely divine at the moment.

* * *

Canti stocked her tray up with all kinds of food and went over to the same table she and her party had shared every day ever since they gathered the very first time. She was grinning from ear to ear, getting compliments from random people within the cafeteria over what happened earlier. Man, it seemed like this year, she might actually get real help with the music festival! Usually, people would get excited and then bail on her until the very last minute, but there's no way that would happen this year... was there? Ah well. She waited for everyone to gather around the table to start eating. And when everyone was gathered, she snatched up her fork and began to snarf absolutely everything she'd put on her tray.

"That was a success," Vanille said as she took dainty little bites of her food.

"Seems like it," Canti said with her mouth full. She swallowed the bite she had in her mouth before saying, "I have a feeling this will be the most successful Music Festival there's ever been!" She stuck her fork in a whole bunch of fried potatoes at once.

Cid looked over at Minwu, and Minwu only returned the cautious glance. "Glad to see you so full of positive energy," Minwu said, smiling gently.

"That is a lovely change compared to your usual brooding," Kain agreed.

"You're one to talk," Cid grunted at him.

"Leave him alone," Canti said. "I like it when he's serious."

That only made Kain blush. He wished he still wore his old dragoon helmet so his embarrassment wasn't so obvious. "I'm... not serious for that purpose," he said bashfully.

"Awww... well," she said, leaning up against Kain for a moment, "I love it."

"Oh my fucking god, I'm so tired of overhearing my daughter's pillow talk," Cid said, shaking his head. "Between Kain, Minwu, and Balthier,,," He put his hand up to his temple, rubbing it, indicating he had a headache. "Can't you keep that in your actual bed, on top of your actual pillow?!"

Canti shook her head at him. "Nope. I'm not hiding anything!"

Suddenly a hand touched her shoulder very lightly, and she stopped moving entirely. It reminded her of when the man cloaked in shadow touched her lips earlier. It was that same sensation. It caused her to hear that voice in her head. None of the other murmurings from the other people in the cafeteria hit her ears. For a split second, she was isolated from even the people on either side of her. She turned to look behind her, not seeing anyone there. Who, or what, was that?!

"Hey," Cid said, nudging Canti's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Canti stood up to look around. This was exactly where Cezre approached her, too. Was he here now? She turned to eye every single inch of the cafeteria. So much activity going on. There had to have been something weird in here. She wondered why no one else felt it.

"I think you made her mad," Vanille said. She gasped when Canti stuck her hand out and summoned her spear. "Uh oh..."

Kain immediately stood up. "I'd appreciate it if you started explaining exactly what was going on," he said.

"There is something here," she said. "I don't know what it is, but it's freaking me out."

"I can see that, my lady. If we need to go somewhere else, we will," he said, trying to lead her focus to something else, but she just couldn't let go of whatever that was. "Please. Come with us. We'll go to the garden instead."

"...the garden..." Canti repeated it, nodding. She remembered encountering that deep voice before in the garden in the past. Perhaps that could give her some sort of answers!

"Yes."

She clutched her spear and jumped up to the ceiling, going through the open window.

"Cid," Kain said.

"Right," Cid stood up, and the two dragoons followed after her.

Vanille had barely eaten anything on her plate and she groaned. "Do we really have to go chase her?" she asked.

"No. If she's jumping like that, only a dragoon could follow. That might be the intention," Minwu said, finishing his salad. "You should eat at your own pace for now."

* * *

Canti took in a deep breath before she walked in the garden. She noticed that it was quiet but also very cloaked in shadow. "All right," she said, looking around. "I'm here." She didn't know what she expected to find while in here. It'd been far too long since she set foot in here. Not since... she stopped at the rose bushes. Not since hearing about... something. She couldn't remember what exactly it was that triggered the last time she came here. But she curled up under one of the trees and wailed for the entire night the last time she was here. She walked past the bushes and to the trees. There was one that she loved to hide under, to keep out of sight when the adults were coming to scold her for her behavior. A weeping willow. That she remembered. She would crawl through the curtain-like branches and into the knotted branches. It would be days until she was found sometimes. That made her laugh at herself, heading up to the branches. It was before she met any of her teammates, too. She pulled them apart, noticing how much she'd grown since she was here last. She closed her eyes while under there, trying to relax.

"What are you doing here?" that same deep voice asked.

"...I could ask the same of you," she replied. "Are you following me?"

"Who's to say?" the voice answered. "I heard you."

"Did you?"

"You were as commanding as you were entertaining."

"I'm not commanding," she laughed.

"But you are. You lead a team daily. They listen to you."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"That's... how I meant it."

"Will you ever tell me who you are?" Canti asked, "Or will you always hide in the shadows where I can't see you?"

"You are not ready to know yet," he answered. "Have you considered what I mentioned to you before?"

"About... my party not having to leave?"

"That's it."

"As much as I want that, it's impossible," she said, shrugging. "As much as I love them like family, they're going to leave. That's just how it works."

"They don't have to leave you."

"Is there some sort of secret that you know about that I don't?!"

"Perhaps," he answered, putting his hand on her shoulder. There that feeling was again. His hand was warm, comforting against her. "Permit me to visit you again. I must go."

"Wait!"

"What bothers you so?"

"I want to know who you are. Ever since yesterday, I can't... get you out of my head," Canti said. "I'm so... frustrated and distracted by... these meetings... that it's hard for me to focus on my work. Which, by the way, I have a lot of!"

"Forgive me for making life harder for you," he said. Canti could feel his presence stand up. He had weight to move around, which meant he was real. Made of flesh. Not just some phantom from missing memories or a fleeting dream. This body, that this voice belonged to, did exist. "I did not intend this to be a result of my coming to see you, but... I cannot help myself."

"What...?" She felt his weight shift and circle around her. He was standing in front of her. If, in that moment, she opened her eyes, she would see who he was. So many questions would be answered all at once. But, she was so afraid that if she opened her eyes right then, that she'd wake up, and this whole moment would be over. Her heart raced, feeling him so close to her, unable to decide what she wanted to do. "Who are... you?" her question was hesitant, because she was somewhat afraid to find out. "...why are you... so close to me?"

"I will come for you," his voice said, barely audible. "When you are alone."

"Why?"

"...they won't accept it easily. You will have to make them understand."

"Understand, what?"

"Your feelings." He put his hand over her heart, and she suddenly felt the need to have his heart beat against hers. "You've dreamt of me, and now that I'm here, you don't have to be alone anymore. Ever. Your entire family will finally be together."

"But, I-"

"It is time we part ways, my lady."

And with that, the presence was gone. Again. Canti slumped back down to the ground, lost in a whirlwind of emotion. Tears poured from her eyes, but she didn't really know why. She wanted to go with him, whoever that was, wherever he was going. But she didn't know how. She'd dreamt of that voice multitudes of times in the past, and now she found it? Of course she saw that as a sign. This mystery man knew more about her than he should, considering she didn't know who he was. That must have meant that he had dreams of her as well... that didn't make much sense, but nothing about this really made sense, now that she thought about it. Who fell in love with a mere dream? Though, now that he was here, he wasn't exactly just a dream. Oh, she couldn't think straight! She put her hands on her head, trying to think of something else. He was so close to her, his hands were on her, he knew she'd be here in the garden somehow... what a mess!

"Canti?!" Kain called from somewhere outside of the tree. He had jumped after her, huh? Concerned as always. "Where are you?"

"Okay, baby girl, what's going on?" Cid's voice asked. He must have been so worried to see her lose her composure like that and jump away.

Canti stepped out of the willow tree's branches. "I'm right here," she said softly.

"Can we sit down and talk about things for a moment?" Kain asked. "You've been acting so erratic. Even for you."

"I am so confused right now," she confessed. "I don't know what's going on. My feelings are all over the place, and it's just weird." Canti latched onto Cid quickly, and he noticed she was trembling against him. "I keep feeling these things that almost remind me of someone I've dreamt about for years, and..."

"Dreams?" Cid asked, cocking up an eyebrow. "What?"

"Okay, let me see if I can make more sense of it," she said slowly, letting go of Cid just enough to let him breathe a little easier. "For years I've had dreams about this man. Every time I do, he's mysterious, clad in shadow, like... I can never see who he is, but I know that I'm safe when he's around. I always feel like I could follow him into the depths of hell itself and nothing would hurt me, not even the burning fire everyone talks about. And... I feel like he's actually here. I keep sensing things, like signals. And when I feel them, I'm compelled to chase after him."

"...you came all the way here because you think you sensed the presence of a guy from your dreams?" Cid asked.

"Yes! That's the best way to put it!" she nodded.

"That's fucking weird," he said. "You need to focus on the job ahead of you right now, not chasing after people that may or may not exist."

"But. I felt him. He touched me!" she said, putting her hand over her heart. "He's here!"

"My lady, if this dream man of yours were here, he'd make his presence known," Kain said, shaking his head. "He'd not be so evasive." He sighed, wondering if she was trying to fill in mental blanks of someone that had been completely deleted from her memories. "You're going to rest this afternoon. We barely have a list of people who have signed up to help right now. We can get back to work tomorrow once you've had the chance to destress."

"Agreed. This is just your mind playing tricks on you," Cid said. "C'mon. Let's get you back to your room."

"But Papa..."

"Cantirena Highwind!"

"...all right..." she said quietly. "...I'll go rest and we'll get back to work tomorrow morning..."

As they were starting to leave the garden, she turned to look back at the willow tree. She knew what she was feeling wasn't just stress manifesting within. That person was real, she felt him right there, she heard his voice, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she'd been dreaming about him. She watched to see if there was any sort of signal that he might still be here. She wanted to prove them wrong, to show them that she wasn't going crazy!

"...where are you?" Canti whispered. "...wh-what are you?"


	9. Chapter 9

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

*writes a whole bunch of notes, but then rips them up and throws them everywhere*

FIC START!

Part 9

Once they had put Canti to rest, Cid gathered the rest of her team a distance away from her door to make sure she didn't try to run off. He stood there with his arms crossed, leaning up against the wall with all of his weight, not sure if he was angry or biligerently pissed off, but he knew he was somewhere between the two. "All right," he grunted, "Minwu, what do you make of this... dream thing?"

Minwu sighed. "She remembers aspects of those who have been deleted from her memory is what I gather from all this.."

"Is it a good idea to leave her alone like this?" Vanille pondered aloud. "She... must be... all over the place. More than usual, I mean."

"Maybe I should go in there and sit with her," Kain suggested.

"Or, y'know, go fuck her brains out?" Cid suggested back.

"I told her. I'm not ready for that..." he blushed, looking away.

"You think I was?" Minwu said. "I wouldn't suggest solving every problem with that, but that's one that gets through her pretty easily. I hate to put it on your shoulders, but you are the one at the moment."

"I'm not the type to encourage this sort of thing, I mean, she's my daughter, but..." Cid scratched the back of his head. "...if she's lost in fantasies over someone she can't remember, who knows what could take advantage of that."

"Oh," Vanille said, "We could always go ask Balthier to step in! He'd know what to do!"

"NO!" both Kain and Cid refused vigorously.

"I'm just saying," she said, sitting down on the floor. "Are we really going to just sit here and stare at her door until it's time to eat again?"

"I'm not moving," Cid said, pulling a cigarette from his headband and the lighter from his trouser pockets. "I've sat inside a cramped rocket for days on end. This ain't nothin'." He took a draw on the cig and let out a puff of smoke. "Vanille, go on if you want to."

"I'm worried, too, it's just... I don't think that sitting here like this is going to accomplish anything. That's all."

"Please don't make me do this," Minwu said, glaring at Kain. "Because if you do, I swear I will make you regret it as long as we're working together."

"You aren't going to threaten me, seer," Kain nearly growled in response. "Not everything can be solved with... sex! I hate to be the one to tell you, but Canti has more issues than the four of us are qualified to fix. This is beyond what we can do!"

"I'm not asking you to fix the broken psyche of our party leader, lord dragoon," Minwu snapped back. "That is something that only she could do, with paitence, training, and self-dicipline. Which she has... quite little of, admittedly." He shook his head. "What I'm asking you to do is ground her in reality. Even she said she wasn't feeling right."

"And how do you expect me to do that?" Kain asked.

"Move on your feelings," Vanille said. "You love her, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Then do what comes naturally," she continued with a nod. "You've been her constant support ever since you stopped that whole Erase situation. She stopped to cling to you when she didn't feel good." She stood up from where she was sitting and began pushing Kain in the direction of Canti's door. "You. Go. In. There. Right. NOW!"

"...it doesn't feel right," Kain said. "Yes. I saved her from others completely erasing her, but I can't... do anything about this."

"Are you feeling guilty?" Minwu asked.

Kain grabbed Vanille's wrists and made her stop pushing him. "I will never feel guilt for saving the life of someone that I care for. I will never feel guilt over saving the life of one that deserves to live. But what you're asking me to do makes me feel like... it isn't right."

"Never mind," Cid grunted. "Just. Don't, then." He rolled his eyes. "Fucking coward."

Canti sat upon her bed, holding herself coiled up in a ball as tightly as she could. The afternoon light fell through her window. She didn't want to be in here. She didn't want to have to 'rest'. There were a million and a half things that needed to be taken care of. Sitting here alone without the ability to get her mind off of what it was stuck on before only made it that much worse. The one who spoke to her from the shadows, the dreams she'd had - that she could barely remember - that connected the two of them with some sort of unspoken bond. Cid said something like it was just her mind playing tricks on her since she was so stressed out over becoming the person that would be coordinating an entire university wide festival. She rolled over to her other side, wondering if it was possible for that mystery man to appear in her room if she made it completely dark in there. There was only one door and the room wasn't exactly that big. It was only meant for one student, no matter how often she had guests sleep over. That meant if he was going to come here, he was going to have to come through that door. She'd hear it. And others could possibly see it, too. She smiled as she thought up her plan. She reached up to close the blinds and curtains over her window, causing it to be as dark as possible. Either she'd take a nap like the team wanted her to do, or she'd have a mysterious encounter with this stranger and finally figure out exactly who he was. Seemed like victory no matter what!

She got up for a moment to stand over by her bookshelf, taking out the Ancient Mysidian text she'd been reading here lately to see if she could find more information based on what Kain had suggested to her before. She couldn't see it very well, but she held onto that old book, feeling her hands sticking into the old bindings and the rough cloth that held it together. It smelled like the Arcane Labyrinth where she was raised, too. She sat down on her bed, clutching that book. It was one of the only things that connected her back to where she was from - the Second Realm - the ancient tribe - the old ways. She could envision the lagomorphs, the library at the very bottom of the labyrinth, the magical waves that permeated the air as she stepped through it. Words came to her that were not of the common language.

"'iinaa murtabik lilghaya,  
hal 'ana fi hulm?  
hu hdha haqiqiun hataa,  
'aw 'ana dhahib majnun?"

Canti heard something that sounded like metal clinking on the floor nearby. She turned around to look at her door quickly. The sound was gone suddenly, so perhaps it was only someone clad in armor that had passed by. But after sitting still for a few moments, she put the book on her bed and held up her left hand. She stood up, cautious as she spinned around, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Of course, she couldn't see anything, so she relied on her other senses. Every now and then, she could hear metal. As if it was armor, or perhaps even boots on the floor. Most people she knew wore metal boots, that made sense. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she was not alone in her room this very moment.

Eventually, she stopped spinning around, and she felt something behind her. Before she could turn around again, she felt a hand on each of her shoulders. These hands commanded magical energy that prickled against her skin. Not enough to hurt her, but just enough for her to notice it was there.

"That is Ancient Mysidian."

Same voice! It was him! And now she knew that this person was stalking her and taking the chance to make his presence known only in the dark! That comment did give a little clue about who he was, though. This person could recognize Ancient Mysidian by hearing it, not just spoken, but also in a singing voice. "H-how did you get in my room? You... you didn't open my door and the window is locked," she asked, ready to blast his face with magical light out of her left hand just to see who he was.

"Does it matter? I believe the more important question is, do you want me here with you?"

"Partially," she confessed. "On one hand, the rest of my party believes I am going crazy because I'm trying to contact a man I've only known in my dreams until now, and on the other, there's someone stalking me with the use of abilities like Shadow Step and Phase!" Canti turned around so that he no longer had his hands on her shoulders, but before she could raise her left hand to bring forth a source of light to reveal this mystery man, he snatched her hands. "That's the only way it makes sense. The places you've appeared had no light at all, and you've even come through my door!"

"Clever girl," he said, tightening the grip on her wrists.

"I just..." she winced a bit in pain from how tight his grip was, "...I just know you can't be a hero from the realms doing this... not alone, anyway..."

"Is that so?"

"If you're a hero..." she tried to snatch her arms back, but that only made him hold them tighter. "...you wouldn't have access to magic of any sort unless you were bound to a keeper in good standing... but you're using powers that do not come from Cosmos..."

"You don't understand," he said coaxingly, drawing her closer to him. "I've come to you the only way possible. I would not employ the powers I do now if there were some other way."

"Why?" she demanded to know. "You couldn't just approach me at any time and tell me who you are?"

"Would you believe me if I told you we've been connected for years through your dreams and fragmented memories if I were to approach you directly?"

"...probably not..."

"We were much closer at one point in time. How I would love to have you that close again."

She shook her head, finally using every bit of strength she had in her arms to snatch them away from his hands. They ached from being held so tightly. "How were we closer?" she asked. "And why would I forget you if we were so close? Don't you see why this is so confusing?"

"I do..." he stepped closer, not trying to take her hands or her arms, but circling until he stood behind her. His hands once again were placed upon her shoulders. She noticed that his fingers were long, almost bony. Perhaps they were claw-like. She tried to visualize them based on what she sensed on her skin. What came to her mind were something very much like demonic claws. "...do you not remember this? Even if your mind does not, your body does... doesn't it?"

He wasn't wrong. She did remember being held very much like this. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that this held all of her answers."Have I ever seen your face?" she asked gently.

"Yes, you have. You've danced with me under the full moonlight, you've crossed worlds with me, you've been at my side as my closest companion..."

"So why don't I remember you? If we were that close. If we were as you say...?"

He coiled his fingers around her shoulders, pulling her back against him. She felt his chin land on her head. He was at least a full head taller than she was. She mentally added that into the things she'd noticed about this mystery man. Who had long, almost claw-like figures that stood that much taller than she was? Who had a deep, dark, damn near intoxicating voice that made her want to submit to everything he said? Canti felt the beat of his heart right there. He was real, he had to be real! "Unfortunately, events occured that drove us apart, and you... You lost your sense of who you are and wanted to be erased because of things that drove us apart."

Canti gasped. "You... you had something to do with that?"

"One thing happened after another. First, you being kidnapped by a shadow walker and nearly being killed. Second, in your search for answers regarding that event, you had an audience with your father. There was a battle where your trauma took physical form, and..."

"If you were so close to me, where were you during all of that?"

"Incapacitated. No one would have kidnapped you, had I been there to protect you."

"I... I can take care of myself!" she said, stepping away from him. She put her hands together, concentrating her magical energy. Canti couldn't let him know she was going to blast the room with a bright light to be able to see him.

"I did not mean to insult you."

"Everyone thinks I'm some precious little flower that needs to be protected, and... I'm so sick of it! I'm an adult, I can manage myself..." She did her best to keep the light between her hands hidden.

"You are pure potential... forgive me."

"There's only one way I will forgive you."

"Name it."

She suddenly turned around and unleashed the light between her hands as quickly as she could. "RADIANT!" The energy shot out to blanket the room in a soft bright light. With that, she looked back at him, only to be greeted by that of Emperor Mateus with his arms outstretched to her. "...you...?!" she breathed out in disbelief. "Yo-your majesty?!"

"Brilliant, my lady," he said, stepping closer to her. "You never cease to surprise me. Exactly what is this magic?"

"I actually created it on my own," she said, still staring at him blankly.

"You... invented magic?" he asked, only attracted to her that much more when he heard that. "I've never heard of anyone creating magic out of their sheer willpower. What talent."

"N-now hold on a minute," Canti said hastily, shaking her head. "Y-yes, you are very in tune with dark energies, and you've never been considered to be on the side of Cosmos, but you... using the powers of darkness like this? I... I have a hard time grasping that. It... it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Besides. You aren't with a keeper now anyway, which means your magic should be sealed by the power of the Eidolons, and-"

He placed a finger over her lips, causing her to just look up at him, still internally trying to make sense out of it all. "Does it matter how I accomplished this? Or does it matter more that I'm here?"

"It matters," she whispered. "It does matter..."

"Why?"

"I've dreamt of you for years, and I rescued you just recently, and it would make sense that seeing you again would totally reignite my dreams of you, which would prove my party members are right..." she said, feeling tears in her eyes. She didn't want that to be the case. Her heart beat faster, the pace of her breathing increased. She was panicking, slowly but surely, her mind was becoming more and more eveloped by anxiety regarding this. "My Emperor, I- I..."

"Hush now," Mateus whispered against her ear, and she just leaned into him. "You've nothing to fear now that I've come back."

"In... Incapacitated..." Canti said, recalling what he said earlier. "You were being chased by the Ardent?! Is- is that why Doctor Mog had me rescue you...?! Th-that's... now it makes sense..."

"Your father is right about one thing," he said, leaning her over to her bed. "You do need to rest." She didn't fight against him. When he guided her to lay down, she followed. The light from her Radiant spell began to slowly fade, and by the time she felt him laying behind her, the light had vanished entirely. Once again, the entire room was cloaked in darkness. "I know that I cannot be in your party for the moment, but when a place opens..."

"...I will find you that moment," she said, sinking into her mattress. "I never want to be far from you again."

"You never will be," Mateus said. "I've signed on to help you with your music festival effort. Your ability to capitvate your audience was only encouraging..." His arm fell upon her stomach from behind her, offering comfort in the one place that she had the most pain. Canti felt nothing but safety in that sweet surrender. "...so I will not be far from you. But you must not tell anyone of this."

"What? But... Papa Cid and-"

"They will not approve. Not after what happened. They are afraid I will take you down another path similar to what happened last year."

"L-last year?"

"A year has passed since that incident. Much of your memory regarding the last year does not seem to be in tact. This does not surprise me."

"My Emperor, I... I can't..." she sniffled. "...I can't believe it... I thought... you were... nothing but a dream..."

"I'm here, now," he whispered, using his other hand to gather magical energy in his hand. "And I will never leave you again." Canti was so lost in that feeling that she didn't even notice the energies gathering around them. "As long as you'll have me."

"Eternity," she replied, her tears only increasing. They slid down her cheeks and dampened her pillow. But she didn't care. She was just so happy. "Forever."

He put his other hand on her back, pressing the magic into her. It drew her into a deep sleep very quickly. Once he heard her light snoring, he pulled himself off of her bed and straightened out all of his clothing and multitudes of jewelry. Mateus wondered if she'd believe that experence was real or not, so he pulled off the amethyst pendant that he'd worn ever since he took the throne of his homeland and placed it on her nightstand next to other important articles. He noticed there was a pendant similar to his own in technique hanging upon the wall above her nightstand, but the gem within it was a bright red ruby instead. Mateus stared at it for a moment. Rubies were a Mysidian tradition, as amethysts were Palamecian. Their home world had a culture based around gemstones. With all he had seen, it did not surprise him that she had in her possession a Mysidian ruby pendant. She clearly sang the tongue of the ancients the moment he entered.

Knock-knock!

Mateus glared at the door.

"Canti?" a voice on the other side asked. "I'm coming in..."

He stepped back into the deeper shadow of the room while the door opened to reveal the dragoon, Kain. Mateus felt a deep seated hunger upon lying eyes on that vision. Canti may have been Empress material, but her dear knight excited him.

"...oh..." Kain bent down, putting his hand on Canti's forehead. "...cried yourself to sleep, have you? Leaving you here alone was the worst idea. I'm so very sorry, my lady."

"Is she all right?" another voice from outside the door.

"She appears to be just fine," Kain said, standing back up. "She has cried herself to sleep. I'm beginning to think that leaving her here this long on her own was a terrible thing to do to her."

"I could have told you that," Minwu stepped in. "Why do you think I was telling you to come in here this entire time? I serve an indecisive lady with an equally indecisive lover."

"I don't think she and I are entirely... lovers," Kain said defensively. "You presume overmuch."

"Well, if the lady is sleeping, we'd best let her rest for now," Minwu said, stepping out. "However, you need to learn to act just as quickly as she does when she's emotionally charged or your relationship is doomed. Your lack of drive in these matters will lead her elsewhere."

"I don't want your relationship advice!" Kain said, turning to head out. He stopped before he left, going back to her. He kneeled down again, kissing her forehead. "Be at peace, my lady. I'll come check on you again soon." He picked himself up off the floor and walked out, gently closing the door behind him.

Mateus grinned, walking around the tiny room. "Interesting..."

"Are you ready?"

"Please. This live-in closet is a tad too small. Did you do what you needed to do?"

"I did. The effects should be taking shape any moment now."

"Good." 


	10. Chapter 10

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Notes: (will write something clever here later)

FIC START!

Part 10

Once hearing that Canti was asleep, her party decided to start moving forward on the Spring Music Festival without her. Minwu went back to the table where he left the sign up sheet to pick it up. He began deligating duties to everyone in the party. Vanille had the nicest handwriting, so she was writing notes to everyone that signed up. Kain and Cid had the ability to move quickly, so they were in charge of deliveries to each hero and student's dorm rooms. Tomorrow afternoon would be the first coordination meeting to sort it further. He also let some that were busy that morning do some karaoke with the stage that had been set up earlier, just to drum up more attention. There were all kinds of acts from all kinds of people and a great time was had, which resulted in a few more sign-ups. He didn't mind taking the lead in administrative things. It was what he did back in Fynn, when he wasn't studying or working with his magic.

"Are you sure you want to send this letter?" Vanille asked, holding up the one that she'd just addressed to Emperor Mateus.

"He signed up. I'm not letting him off easy," Minwu replied. "This'll be my chance to put him to an honest day of work!"

"You've been around Papa Cid too long, I think," Vanille giggled as she sealed it. "That sounds exactly like what he would say."

"...if you use that title for him, you might upset our keeper," Minwu said, winking at her. "She's quite possessive when it comes to things like that."

She laughed again. "You mean... everything."

"Aye," he agreed. "You aren't wrong."

She started to write up another letter before she looked up over at him and said, "Hey, Minwu?"

"Yes?" he answered as he began to unplug all of the electrical components from the stage. It was almost time to put it all away for the time being to prevent accidents.

"Do you miss the relationship you had with Canti?"

"What?"

"The way it used to be."

He sighed. "I would, if I believed it was genuine." Minwu's eyes glossed over for a moment. Did he wish it was genuine? Of course he did. What man wouldn't want to have such a devoted love, to always feel the warmth of someone that could not grow any closer him? He tried to focus back on his work instead of thinking that. There would be nothing good that came of it. He promised to serve her, to take care of her, to advise her. But he would never be that close to Canti again. There was no reason to put up a farce of a false relationship. He knew that she was beginning to understand the concept of love the way it was meant to be after all she'd gone through. It wasn't something he could put himself through now.

"Ahhhh..." she nodded, finishing up the envelope she'd been working on. She tossed it into a nearby basket. How heavy the atmosphere had grown so quickly!

A few moments later, the dragoons had returned. Vanille put the basket into Kain's hands. He looked down at them for just a moment before once again jumping out of sight. Cid noticed Minwu was deep in thought. Cid had learned about Minwu over the time they'd worked together that when he was like that, he was not to be disturbed. He decided to let him be and head back to Canti's room to see if she was ready for supper time. He pulled out a cigarette from his headband and began to walk over that way until he was stopped by someone else.

"Oh, hi!" the girl said excitedly. She seemed as if she'd been running clear across campus at top speed. She nearly crashed into him. That pink hair looked familiar, though. He'd seen that before. It took him a moment, recalling the dream he had a while back. This one was Canti's friend! "Um... sorry, Sir Cid, I just... I heard that Canti was in charge of the music festival, and- and-"

"You wanna help out?" Cid finished her question for her.

"That's right!" she exclaimed through deep breaths. "I'm- I'm... really looking forward to the chance to help with this!"

"Well. Minwu's got the sign up sheet," he said, pointing back behind him. "He knows more about the particulars than I do."

"Thank you so much!" she said, zooming right past him.

Before Cid could take another step towards where he wanted to go, his mind grew clouded. He hadn't had a headache this intense since he needed his crystalized memories to stay functioning. They'd all ready found all of his memory crystals, though. He remembered absolutely everything about his life, he didn't need to go and find missing pieces of his memories now. So why was he so dizzy? He equated it mentally to an airship stalling. He barely registered the fact that he collapsed onto the floor, grasping for air. He didn't hear all the voices calling out to him. His current party members, his past party members from his home realm, people that had come to know him while working here at the university. He had no idea many people were screaming out his name. The only person he wanted to hear from at that very moment was his dearly beloved daughter. He wanted to hold her and offer that security she often came looking for from him. That child of his needed so much reassurance and support, as she doubted herself more than anyone he'd ever known - including himself. He stuck his hand out trying to reach for her before he lost all ability to function.

 _"...Cantirena..."_

* * *

Canti woke up gasping for air. She felt something. Whether it was completely wrong, or just extremely different, or some measure of them both, she couldn't quite tell. She could have sworn she felt Cid call out to her, but he wasn't here. Her dorm room was as disorganized as it was any other day, though some things just weren't the way they were supposed to be. She saw something on her nightstand that had never been there before. She got out of bed and went to her mirror. She didn't remember having her hair in a french braid. She hadn't worn her hair like that ever. She didn't even know how to style her hair like that. And her pajamas? ...since when did she even own pajamas? She typically slept in just a shirt and panties. Did she even eat supper? Did her party actually let her sleep through the last meal of the day?! No way! She walked over to the wall and pressed her hand to it, revealing a magical glow-in-the-dark clock. It was around time to eat supper.

"Papa Cid won't be mad if I leave now," she said, reaching into her closet to pull out her uniform. It smelled weird. But she had it washed in the university system just yesterday! It was even delivered this morning, fresh in its wrapping. She never requested perfumes or other scents upon her clothing. Ah well. Never mind that. She pulled out and dressed herself. Was kind of weird that she'd be putting this on at this time of day. That was something meant for the morning. Once all of her clothes were on, she put her keeper's badge on the left side of her overcoat. Canti looked in her jewelry box but she couldn't find the hairpin that Kain got for her that Heartsglow, which is what she wanted to wear. It would have made him happy to see her wearing his gift. But it wasn't there! She found other hairpins that she didn't remember in there, though. So much amethyst studded pieces it almost made her dizzy. But... she wanted to wear the heart made of dragon scales... she loved that thing.

There was a knock at her door.

"Papa, is that you?" she asked, walking over to the door to open it. "I'm gonna be so mad at y..."

"Did you enjoy your nap, my lady?" the one that stood there was Mateus. He walked into her room with absolutely no hestitation, causing her to stare at him awkwardly.

That's certainly not what she expected to happen. "E... excuse me!" she said rather forcefully. "What... the hell... is going on?!"

"...does something trouble you?" Mateus asked.

"Literally everything," she replied, still just as forceful.

"Please tell me what bothers you so I may take care of it."

"Where's Papa Cid?" she asked. "I... felt something... like he was calling to me..."

Mateus stared at her, letting her see an expression on his face probably no one else had ever seen. "Who are you talking about?" he asked, bewildered.

"My adopted father!" she yelled at him. "Cid Highwind! Hero of the Seventh Realm, inheritor of the Highwind Legacy, one of the most influential people in the history of flight across all realms! You know! The old grizzled chain-smoking bastard I call my father!"

"Forgive me, but I do not know the man you speak of," he said, trying to be as gentle as possible with her.

"You don't know him!? He helped me subdue you when I came to rescue you! You do know him! Don't play coy with me, you="

He was tired of her tirade and quickly slapped his hand over her mouth so she'd stop yelling at him. "No, my lady, you are mistaken. You have no father... I don't know what you were dreaming, but it seems to have left quite an impression on you."

"It... wasn't a dream!" she yelled again, looking up at the wall. Oh, where was it?! She flipped on the lights so she could get a better look of every inch of her dorm. There were various posters, calendars, and a few framed awards, but for some reason, her adoption certificate wasn't there. "...w... what?!"

"My lady,,, should we stay in? I'll ask one of your party members to bring dinner in, and we can just rest. I know you're terribly stressed over organizing the Spring Music Festival..." Mateus guided her back to the bed, noticing how she was slowly coming upon a mental break down.

"...yes. I'll speak with Kain and Minwu, they'll know what's going on... and what the hell are you doing here?"

He put his hands on hers and took a deep breath. "What a vivid dream this must have been... do you not remember anything?" He put one of his fingers up to a ring that was on her finger. "...do you... not remember... this?"

She looked where he pointed. "...this is a Palamecian engagement-" Her eyes widened. No, that was something that she certainly didn't remember. There was no way that she could be engaged to anyone, especially not Mateus himself! "-ring? Y-you... and me?! B... but you were the one that told me to keep my feelings regarding you hidden because my party would not understand and-"

"I see," he said, pulling her closer. "What cruelty this dream has made you suffer. My lady, tortured by having her longings waved right in front of her face... Perhaps we should have our wedding sooner so you no longer have to wish for a family so deeply that your dreams hurt you so."

"N-no, no, we shouldn't hasten whatever plans we have over this," she said, pulling away from him. "...I will be all right." Canti wiped her eyes as she stood up. "Forgive me, but there's something I need to take care of."

"May I accompany you?" Mateus asked.

"Nah," she said. "You go eat. I'll be there in a bit."

"Are you certain?"

"I insist," she said in a commanding tone.

"...as you wish," he answered quietly, watching her as she opened her dorm room and closed it behind her. He waited for a few moments before picking himself up to follow her.

* * *

Canti knew that since everyone would be eating that the library would be empty. Even though she was hungry, she had to see if what Mateus said was true. She gathered up three very large, leather bound books that accounted for history of three topics that she had spent years of her life reading. She memorized so much of these books, word for word, because they were massive aspects of her own life. The Complete Compedium of history regarding the Seventh Realm, The manual of every airship that had been invented within the realms, and the long and toiled history of every dragoon of any significance that had ever lived within the realms.

She turned page after page, tracing her fingers along the lines printed upon the pages. Rocket Town didn't exist in the Seventh Realm? But... she had gone there. She ran away to that very place, which is where she met Papa Cid. He and Shera had taken care of her and... and... she sniffled, turning away from the book so the salt of her tears would not harm the books. She pointed at the history of flight manuals, using her magical power to force it open. Even if Rocket Town was not a thing, that world couldn't be without airships! The world couldn't have been saved from Sephiroth without the Highwind! She found many manuals were the same, but the Highwind's manual was not there! She gasped, shaking her head and crying even harder. How could that have been?! H-how the hell could there not be a Highwind airship, named after Cid for his work on it? It was his masterpiece, his contribution upon the history of his world and the reason why he was regarded so highly within the field of engineering and piloting! She didn't wnat to look through the history of the dragoons, but... in a fit of rage, she flipped it open so hard that it made a large crack in the spine. Her eyes were burning far too much to read the words of the pages. How could that have only been a dream?! He was real, maybe even realer than she ever was... he was the only one to love her so much that he gave her a family name and a real place to call home...

"Papa Cid..." she sobbed, falling from the stool she sat upon, collapsing on the floor. The more she cried, the sadder she grew, until she didn't have the will to pick herself up off the floor of the library. Coming to the conclusion that he never existed and that her mind had only created her to fill this void, she only wanted to fade away and be with him on the plane of non-existence.

Soon someone had approached her. "Princess?" a familiar voice asked, picking her up off the floor. "What has come over you?"

Canti looked up to see Balthier there. He helped her stand up and hugged her to him for a moment. "...Balthier... th=thank you..."

"The Emperor made a mention of you not seeming like yourself," he said, wiping her tears as gently as he could. "He seemed distraught over you."

"It's... nothing..." she said.

"It most certainly is something," he said. "As your party's second in command, I must insist that we talk this over before we engage in any other responsibilities."

"Bu- but you..." she decided not to say anything more. Perhaps those events were just dreams, too. If he was a part of her party then there was som familiarity, but he hadn't been since she applied for erasure and Kain was the one that came to her aid. He had kept his distance for a while. She didn't understand why, but she accepted that. If, in reality, he was at her side, she didn't have much to fear. He was very capable of backing her up. He'd done it through so much before. "...very well."

"So. What has your nose in all these books?"

"I am looking for someone. In my dream, he was... my adopted father. Gave me everything I needed. A place to call home and a real family... even though I told him that was I an orphan even after he officially adopted me!" she bit her lip, trying not to break down and cry again. "And when I wake up, here I am... in a world where he's not even remembered in his own realm's history..." Canti sniffled again, feeling her eyes burn again. "...Papa Cid seems to be completely gone! He was a hero of the Seventh Realm, a vital part of the history of flight and... he taught me so much about being a dragoon..."

"Princess. That most certainly is a dream," Balthier said, shaking his head. "I've never seen you carry a polearm as long as I've known you."

"What?" she asked in disbelief. "But I'm... a dragoon! A damn good one! Maybe even one of the absolute best of the best! Taught by both Cid and Kain Highwind!" She reached her left arm straight out to summon the weapon linked to her. "Come to me..." she whispered. "My Golden Spear!"

The weapon that showed in her hand was not that of the dragon-hair tassled Golden Spear, but a lovely harp with an angel engraved into the side.

"You've always been a songstress," Balthier said, instantly recognizing the weapon in her hand. "You are a bard. And none better, either. Your buffs and debuffs have saved us many a time in the field. You should be proud of who you really are, not trying to reach for something you've never been. That was just a dream, princess."

"If all of that was a dream... why do you still call me that?"

"You are royalty," he said gently. "What else would I call you, but your title? His Highness bestowed upon you title within your home realm."

Her heart fell away. It wasn't because of their adventures together, and maybe even the relationship she had with him before? It wasn't because at first he looked at her with disdain and now saw her haughty attitude fondly? Was he not the same Balthier she knew? "...then exactly what are you doing here?"

"I'm your attendant. Hired by that of your betrothed for more money than I could ever earn with sky pirating."

Canti gasped. That wasn't the Balthier she knew, and suddenly he felt nothing more than just some stranger with the same face as one of her closest allies. "If you are my attendant, you will do a favor for me."

"Your wish is my command, princess."

"I want you to research," she said. "Search the entire library if you must. Every book ever written exists in here with every sort of cross reference available. You will find out where Cid Highwind is. He was born in Junon. Attended Shinra Military Academy there. I know that for sure. You will find record of him."

"But... what purpose will that serve?"

"Just... to put my heart at ease. That's all."

"It will be done."

"Thank you, Balthier," she said, grasping around him suddenly.

"...what would His Highness say if he found you holding to me like this?" he asked. "I beg of you, please, do not do this..."

"I don't care. I... need this right now," she said, holding to him as tightly as she could. She certainly wasn't as strong in her arms as she remembered being in her dreams. "Get to it." She said as she let him go, She had a feeling there was a lot more to figure out about the world she woke up in...


	11. Chapter 11

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy

Notes: ...

FIC START!

Part 11

Canti left the library and quietly just walked through the empty hall. She didn't know where she wanted to go or what she wanted to do. Her heart was wrenched in all sorts of ways that she wasn't sure she could tell anyone about now. It seemed that Mateus was right. The man she looked up to the most was nothing more than a dream, and she didn't have any clue as to how to process that. That dream felt so real. The relationships and the adventures - she was certain that she lived that life. And she remembered it all so vividly. What kind of dream would feel like that? As she walked, the shoes on her feet made a quiet little clack-clack. Every step she took, another clack. It was easy to just concentrate on something that made sense instead of trying to figure it all out. She heard his voice and smelled his scent of eternal cigarettes and gasoline. That old hoarse laugh. But she refused to let those tears fall again when someone could come along and ask her about it, and then having to explain it yet again... It was all too much. Entirely too much. Clack-clack. Clack=clack.

"...there you are."

She looked up from her shoes to see Mateus standing just a little further down the hall. "I didn't mean to keep you waiting," she replied, not sure if she wanted to walk to him and accept the embrace he seemed as if he was about to give to her.

"Did you attend to your business?" he asked, taking a step closer to her.

By walking to him, she had to accept the life that she was suddenly ripped from her was nothing more than a dream. "I did," she answered sadly, doing all she could to avert his gaze. Those deep purple eyes of his were nothing short of intoxicating, and the last thing she needed was to be drawn into them further.

"Very good," Mateus said, cracking a smile. That look on her face showed to him everything he needed to see. "Allow me to cheer you up, my lady."

"Cheer me up?" she asked, baffled by that suggestion. "I'm not worth the effort, Your Majesty. Please. Take care of what you need, and I-"

He took another step closer to her, Mentally she wished he would just keep his distance. If he would just leave her be, then she could go back to sleep, and maybe this place would be the dream instead. "I must see to your well-being as your future husband." Mateus warm tone only melted into her ear. It was so hard to resist a voice she'd adored for so long. After all that chasing after Kain, only to have him keep her at an arm's distance, falling into those arms would have been the easiest thing to do.

Canti turned instead to look out one of the hall windows to see that the sun was setting. The highest point of the sky held twinkling stars. Those same stars that she went to gaze upon with Minwu. She could still remember that night as if he were just yesterday. Even though they hadn't been on particularly good terms here lately, he had always been there for her. Was... she began to feel a twinge of fear within her heart. Had she pushed them away too far, only to wake up in this bizarre reality? Was this... her doing?!

"What is it?" Mateus asked, slowly coming to her side. He looked out the corner of his eye to see that she was staring up at the stars. "You have always had your eye on the skies since I've known you. Must be your Mysidian blood. They were well known for worshipping heavenly bodies."

"...what would you know about my tribe's history and culture?" Canti asked under her breath. She was almost insulted by the fact that he presumed to know so much. He had been the genocidal one, doing all he could to slay her people, after all. He wanted to wipe them from the face of the Second Realm, and considering she had come to live outside it, he had achieved such a cruel victory.

"I am Emperor. I had to study many things before I was allowed to assume the throne. Royalty is expected to be held to standards far above those of the common folk. Even though I may not be of your tribe, I know a bit. Perhaps not as much as you, or perhaps even more since you were raised away from your people." That expression on his face. She knew when she was being looked down upon. Even if he was supposed to be her husband, clearly that was an expression that demanded submission and respect. "Are you proud that you come from a line of blasphemers?"

"What a claim!" she shouted, feeling her last nerve snap, Her trademark temper was beginning to make its presence known. "The Mysidian people worshipped the moon and the stars as symbols of Cosmos, the Goddess of Harmony. We were blessed to walk in the light she provided at night-"

"What use is that, when those blessed people still burned alive once they were found?" he asked, snatching her upper arm with one of his hands. "Do not presume past your station, my lady. Rebellion does not suit you. With you at my side, the tribe of Moon worshippers is no longer. Those with the power of the Goddess can never stand against the might of the Palamecian Empire."

She snatched her arm back, almost snarling at him. "How could I ever marry you?!" she asked, wishing she had a spear on hand. Now would have been a perfect opportunity to ram it through his heart and take it to Minwu as an apology for what she said to him the night they went to rescue him. "How could I marry the one responsible for the genocide of my own people?!"

"You love me," he said, coming close enough to snatch her arm again. "I have given you what you have always wanted. A home and a family. You would not be ungrateful to me for bestowing upon you a title worthy of your place among your people. I have given you every desire." Quickly, he held her against the wall, leaning in close enough for the tips of their noses to touch. "You will be my wife. I will accept no other."

"I'd rather-"

His lips pressed against hers, tighter than any other kiss she'd ever had in her life. When she wanted to fight him off, he held onto her arms, pressing them against the wall. She tried to use her uppor body strength to push him away, but it seemed that she didn't have her muscles from wielding a spear. She had literally no strength. The more she fought against him, the more he held her still until she simply accepted her fate. She was in that submissive kiss until he let her go. A few moments later, he let her hands free from his own, and she no longer tried to break free. He put his arms around her and hers responded in turn by being wrapped around his neck. When he let her lips free, she had nothing to say. Her eyes were half-open, lost in the rush of having been submissive. Mateus gave a quick kiss on her forehead, which woke her from her stupor.

"Princess," he whispered. "Do you feel better?"

She nodded, causing him to give the closest thing to a smile he'd ever had upon his face.

"Come now," he said, leading her away from the library door. "I have something for you."

"You did not have to get me anything," she said quietly.

"What kind of Emperor would not give his betrothed gifts to show his affection?" he asked. He had led her back to her room, pulling it open. Once she was inside, he shut the door behind them and locked it. Then he pulled a tiny white box with a gorgeous glittery gold ribbon wrapped around it. "Here."

Canti accepted the box, staring at it. She had seen a box that looked directly like this before. She held it. It was... for her, if she remembered right. Heartsglow, wasn't it? The box was almost the same size, but she had her doubts of Mateus giving her a hairpin made of dragon scales. She carried it over to the bed and sat it on her lap. Who had given it to her? She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to remember it. Kain. He had given her a box just like this. He was so nervous. That blush across his cheeks that she could finally see now that he had become a Holy Dragoon. That's... that was... she was trying to develop her relationship with Kain!

"...what causes you to hesitate?" he asked. She could hear it in his voice. He detested hesitation.

"No, it's just this box..." she said, running her finger along the ribbon. There was some sort of stitching on the ribbon itself. She brought it closer to get a good look at it. "...I've seen another just like it, and-"

"Have you?"

"It brings back memories," Canti said, noticing that the ribbon had little flowers stitched into it. Little golden roses. There were two roses that were symbolic of the Second Realm. The red, wild rose and the dark, purple rose. Two eternally opposing sides, at least, until the wild rose finally uprooted the purple one and the legends of the realm came to a close. Gold was a color only used by royalty there, which made a lot of sense. Both royal families of Fynn and Palamecia were intertwined on the same rose bush it seemed.

"Pray tell. Do not hold me in suspense."

"I once was given a box just like this one for Heartsglow," she said, not wanting to tell him that holding this reminded her of Kain. That would probably have set him off, which was something she didn't particularly want. "Inside it was one of the most lovely gifts anyone had or... has given me."

"What was it?" He was most curious. Who could have given her a gift she loved more than any gift he had given her?

"A hairpin," she replied.

"...a hairpin?" he repeated. "Such a simple trifle?"

"It wasn't just any hairpin," she said, smiling softly while she thought about it. "A hairpin made of dragon scales. It... was... breathtaking to behold."

"I see."

"Your Majesty is aware that I collect hairpins of all kinds, right?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I am indeed," Mateus said with a slight nod.

"I... wanted to wear it today, but I could not find my dragon scale hairpin. I was upset about that," she told him. Now that she thought about it, that dragon scale hairpin was also something that took place in that dream. It didn't exist here, in this world where she was no longer connected to the Highwind family. What would it take to go to the world where Kain was sleeping on a cot on her floor, where Minwu was her trusty aide-de-camp, and Balthier was that exboyfriend who kept his distance but was always looking after her? Where Mateus was just a shadow... No, she decided. This world was the dream. She told everyone in her party that she just wanted to connect with someone from her dreams and that person was Mateus! That world was real, this one where Balthier was some paid butler, was not real! Which meant... if she gave in to his advances, it... didn't mean anything, did it? With that thought in mind, she decided that she was going to ride this out to the end! She pulled the ribbon off the box and slid it off, smiling all the while. The top of the box came off slowly, and revealed a silver collar.

"...oh," she said, blushing at that.

"Is it not to your liking?" he asked, sitting right next to her. "Tell me truly."

"It will only suit me if it is around my neck," she whispered, passing it to him. "Please, do the honors, my Emperor."

He was ever so gentle, bringing that leather band around her neck. He fastened it to her, just a little tighter than she would have put it. With that, he pulled a chain from his pocket and clicked it into the collar. "Just as it should be," he said, laying her down on his lap. He ran his fingers through her curly hair, rubbing against her scalp. She damn near purred on him, just enjoying the pleasant sensory overload. Kain certainly wouldn't have given her this! She'd fall asleep with him here and wake up back at home, and no one would have to be the wiser. This all must have been some weird manifestation of her anxiety over the Spring Music Festival, or... something... The longer she laid there in his lap, with him rubbing her scalp and eventually beginning to scratch her back as hard as he could, the less she wanted to think about the world where she was a fearless dragoon that simply couldn't help but fight to survive. Here, she might have just been a meek bard, but... what was that compared to this feeling of submission?

"Yes," she moaned out at his scratches. "That's... that's it...!"

"All the stress you've been under, I figured you needed this," he whispered.

"I've... needed this..." Canti cried. "I've needed... you..."

Mateus nodded in agreement. "Tomorrow, we have much that needs to be done. For the moment... simply let it all go..."

"Let... it go?"

"Your Emperor commands it."

Canti looked up at him. "Then I must obey," she replied, lost in the euphoria he had given her. She lost the anxiety and fear, only to melt into him. "May I make a request?"

"You have a request... of me?" he asked, somewhat annoyed about that. He was the one meant to give commands, after all. "I... am feeling generous at the moment. I don't see why not. Speak up, my lady."

She rolled so she was looking straight up at him, and he looked down right at her. Canti took in a deep breath before she finally said it. "Would you... make love with me?" She had been asking Kain repeatedly for a chance to, and he kept pushing her away. Even if this was nothing more than some phantom dream, she didn't think he'd refuse that offer. In fact, she believed he wouldn't be able to turn down that opportunity.

"I don't know why you would request that of me," he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "When I had full intention."

"...really?"

"Why does this surprise you? Every night since we became official with our engagment, we've been like this..."

"That..." she smiled wider than she had in a while. "...makes me happy..."

"That is my ultimate goal," he said, pushing her down onto her pillows. "Submit to my every move, and you will be well rewarded..."

"I would never," she gasped, letting him take the lead. Every kiss, every caress, every gasp of passion was nothing but freeing. "I'm yours..." 


	12. Chapter 12

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Notes: My eyes hurt so badly.

FIC START!

Part 12

The next morning, Canti woke up so dizzy underneath her blanket that looked like a deep, dark star-studded sky. Her body was covered in sweat from head to toe. She hadn't woken up like this in what felt like forever. That dream sex was so intense... so life=like. That Emperor knew how to light her fire, how to lead her along to serving his every wish... She pulled the blanket up again, tucking it under her chin. She let out a mighty yawn. How relaxed she was... Working on the Spring Music Festival would be a cinch with not having to worry about all that stress from yesterday. Papa Cid would be there and taunt her with a donut before letting her have it, she'd glomp Kain and make him turn redder than the rubies on Minwu's robes. She'd giggle like a little girl with Vanille. And she'd be productive today. So much would get done. So much would be taken care of. The Music Festival would unite so many heroes and keepers alike, bringing smiles to literally everyone around the entire university. Canti took a deep a breath. What a perfect feeling to wake up to!

"Good morning, my lady."

Suddenly her eyes widened out of shock. No, no no no. He was a dream. That was a dream. It was the world where Papa Cid... she looked behind her, to the wall closest to her that the bed was propped up against. Mateus laid there, under the other half of that blanket, just as naked as she was. "Oh..." she murmured, blinking a few times. "G=good morning, my Emperor..."

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Yes..." she nodded, reaching immediately for her clothes. "...I feel absolutely amazing this morning."

"Perfect," he said, lying there as he watched her. "Why do you hurry?"

"There's so much that needs to be done, and I want to get an early start on it," she said honestly. She pulled the pieces of her uniform out of her wardrobe, slipping everything on rather quickly. "Come at your own pace, my love."

"Understood."

Canti snatched up her bag, not even bothering to do much with her hair aside from just make it look presentable. She needed to get out of there as fast as possible. Even if she had tons of work to do regarding the Spring Music Festival, there were a few more things she wanted to take care of unrelated to that. She was almost running through the halls, trying to get away as fast as she could. Once she came across her old observatory, she stopped. She was breathing so heavily. Wow, she really was a weakling in this world, wasn't she? She noticed that the doorknob had rusted over. Odd. She didn't abandon this place. It served as her office and favorite place to study for years. Canti looked into her bag, feeling around for her keyring. There was a yellowish-copper key that was meant for this door. But she couldn't find it. She bit her lip, shaking her head. So... this wasn't her place now? But... all her stargazing and...

"Excuse me, miss," a voice said behind her. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh..." she turned her head to see who was speaking to her. It was none other than Kain! It was odd to see him wearing his dark armor from the days he was torn apart from his dark days in the times after the Crystal War. "...Kain! I'm so glad to see you!"

Kain shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't..."

"You don't remember me?" she asked. "I'm only the keeper that saved you and brought you here."

He hesitated before he spoke again. "Oh... oh! Now I recognize you. Thank you kindly for what you've done for me, miss. I am indebted to you for that."

"...Kain..." she said worriedly, stepping close to him. "...I... I've missed you..."

"Now... why would you do that?"

She didn't know what to say. In this world, he didn't stay by her side. He didn't become her first party member, he wasn't the one who taught her to fight or... literally anything else. It seemed that by waking up, she lost her entire connection to the Highwind family. "...I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to trouble you, Kain..." She did everything to hide the fact that her eyes burned with tears. They were closer than friends but maybe not entirely lovers. She hoped they would have been. "I'll... just... go now..."

"I... I did not mean to-"

She just left the door of the observatory where it was, so this wouldn't be so awkward. There was no reason to look for a key she didn't have, especially if the door was rusted over like that. Clearly no one had used it. Not even her. Canti went to the main foyer of the campus, looking around. There was the stage that her party helped her set up before, but other people were on it. Was she really in charge of organizing the Spring Music Festival? She decided to head over there and see what was going on.

"Ah!" a girl looked up from where she was hooking up the electronics. "It's you!"

Canti blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Don't worry," the girl said, smiling. "Everything will be set up very soon so you can make your announcements."

"I didn't..."

"No, you didn't have to," she continued, pushing her teal hair out of the way. "We were given letters regarding our duties yesterday."

Canti sat down on one of the spare amps, wondering exactly how this was all being set up if she wasn't the one giving the direct commands. Was Mateus doing it behind her back? Or, with her permission that she wasn't aware of? Who was the one doing all the leading regarding this...? She kept thinking about it until there was a tap on her shoulder.

"I need to put this away, sorry."

"No, no," she got up and tried to lift it to hand it over. What? She was so weak she couldn't pick up an amp? Canti decided she was going to have to lift some weights or something. This bard arm strength was going to kill her somehow eventually. "I... guess I can't... help..."

"You aren't supposed to. You're the director and organiser of the event, not some volunteer help."

"Actually, I'm not being paid for this, so... technically I am a volunteer," Canti corrected her, letting out an exasperated sigh. This world wasn't right. She shook her head and said, "I'm gonna go get a donut. I'll be right back."

"Why don't one of us go get it for you?" another one of the helpers asked.

"Fuck that," she said, causing all of them to gasp. "I'm fully capable of going and getting myself something to eat." She waved her hand and headed towards the cafeteria. The place looked as it always had. A plain place to eat for the entire student body and those it hosted. She grabbed a tray and suddenly the thought crossed her mind. If Minwu and Papa Cid weren't there to scold her about her sugar intake, did that mean she could have an entire stack of donuts bigger than an airship propeller? She cracked a smile as she seized a plate and began to load it up with all sorts of donuts, pastries, fruits, cakes, and pies. It was a wonderous pile that she hadn't been able to have since she didn't have a party that cared to look after her.

"You seriously don't expect me to allow THAT to slide, do you?" Balthier said. He was standing there, glaring at her. "Just because I've not been with you this morning... tsk, tsk."

"Since when did you care about my diet?!" she snapped.

"Since it's become my job," hesaid, snatching the plate away from her. "You're allowed one pastry per breakfast. You know that."

"...I miss when it was Papa Cid scolding me..." she muttered, taking one chocolate donut off the entire mountain of goodness and placing it on another one that she loaded up with fruits instead. "...you've always been a troublemaker, not anywhere near as straightlaced as Minwu..."

"I must admit I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yeah. I know you don't," she said, taking her plate and sitting down with it. How odd. The rules were still the same, but it was someone else that enforced them? What sense did that make? Who put it in place that she had to have a limit on her sugar intake, if it wasn't Papa Cid's directive?

Balthier sat with her, holding his own plate of eggs and bacon. His dining manners were impeccable. Canti thought about it for a moment. Balthier was born to a very wealthy family, but pushed away from his father when the gentleman started acting erratic about his scientific progress, right? She remembered how he told her about his running away from it all, becoming a treasure hunter - a sky pirate in his home realm - to seek out adventure. To look for something he could never find. That night was so cold, when they were lost in the middle of Cosmo Canyon and no more stamina to progress and her keeper's badge malfunctioning to prevent her from just bringing them home. That was the night she grew feelings for him at all, as she fell asleep against his shoulder, telling him about her issues with her father. About her issues regarding family in general. They had become kindred spirits and understood each other's mannerisms that much more. How she longed for that night. The night when he gave her the cookie from his rations and smiled when her eyes lit up brighter than any other he'd ever seen. "I finished that research for you," he said, slipping her a piece of paper.

"R-really?!" she instantly perked up. "What did you find out?" She eagerly opened the paper up. "Oh... he is alive...! That's..."

"I have no idea why he would be the one you dreamt of being your father," Balthier said cooly. "He is virtually unimportant to the realm's history, and-"

"I don't care," she said, standing up. She stared at what was written on the paper. "I have to go. Thank you so much!"

"Where do you have to go?" When she turned around to leave, Mateus was standing there with his plate in his hands.

"I, I have some very important Music Festival duties and-"

He snatched the paper from her hand. "What does this have to do with the Music Festival?" he clenched his hand around the paper. "Sit down, finish your breakfast. Most of your duties are being taken care of by those who signed up to help. You don't need to be involved."

"...you did that," she said. "You gave them their orders without consulting me first!"

"You took a nap yesterday, and I took it upon myself to see to your duties," Mateus replied, sitting down next to the place where she had been sitting.

"Just because I'm the one in charge of directing doesn't mean I don't have to do anything..." she said, shaking her head. "You can't do that! I don't care if you're my fiancee, you still have to talk to me before you make decisions regarding my responsibility to the university!"

"I don't know where this willfullness of yours has come from," he said, taking her hand and forcing her to sit down. "But I've had quite enough of it."

"You don't get to-"

"Be silent," he said much more forcefully. "Do not antagonize me further."

She glared at him. Even if she didn't say anything verbally, there was plenty of communication with facial expressions and body language.

"Eat, princess," Balthier suggested. "If you eat, I might let you have an extra donut..."

"Oh shut up," she growled at him, not taking her eyes off of Mateus. "You're just a paid mouthpiece. Your words mean nothing when you're hired to act a certain way and throw away who you really are."

"I'm afraid I don't understand," he said, somewhat laughing.

"...yes you do," she said. "You... were once an inspiration for me.. you helped me understand so much, gave me someone to relate to because of our common issues regarding family. Y=you were..." she dare not finish that sentence aloud where Mateus could hear it. He was her first love. He opened her heart in a way no one else ever tried. He tended to her but as a friend, a peer, a lover. "...so brave to stand up in the face of danger, to encourage me to stand up when I wanted to die..." I loved you, she thought.

"Another dream of yours?" Mateus asked.

"...maybe it was..." she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. She reached into her purse to find her keeper's badge and identification cards. The people listed in her party were completely different from what she remembered, which was something she all ready expected. Balthier, she knew about. Though she had no idea if he was going to fight the same way he did when he served as her Second in Command before. The rest of her team wasn't gathered there for breakfast, so she doubted that they were even friends. She knew who Cecil was. Kain's companion, a knight. Specifically, a paladin. Meant for protection. Another person was the Warrior of Light. Another knight, the beloved protector of Princess Sarah that had fought off the being known as Chaos from destroying the First Realm. And the last member of the team was Beatrix. A lady knight that fought similarly to Cecil, with the powers of light and protection. While she knew who they were, she also knew that these were holy and sacred people, upholders and protectors of those considered weaker than them. Why three knights and a mechanically inclined thief? What? Where was the offensive magic, where was the grander healing magic? And, more importantly... where was Mateus?!

"You need to let your dreams go," Balthier said gently. "They will distract you from what you have to do here."

"Here, in this state, I'm a pathetic weakling that doesn't do anything herself, apparently. People offer to make my plate, people do my research for me, people do my own work for me. I don't get a say, I don't get a choice, I just live to worship this-" she pointed at Mateus "-vision of perfect beauty. You're the best, I absolutely adore you... While I love doing that, I don't like feeling absolutely useless. In my dreams, I'm... a dragoon. A warrior with a spear. I'm strong and confident and maybe even arrogant. I have a party full of friends that treat me like family. I have... a good life, even if... it isn't all perfect..." She felt her eyes burn. Goddess damn it all, all she'd been doing here lately was crying when she realized just how much she missed who she was and the circumstances around that. "I got hurt a lot because I would make bad decisions, but they were at least mine to make!"

"But here, you do not need to worry about anything," Balthier said.

"Might seem weird to you, but... I loved that life. Even if, in the moment, I felt like some things were missing... but I realize now that I was happy." She finally picked up the donut off her plate and bit into it. At least here, the donuts tasted the way they were supposed to. Light and fluffy with a slatering of chocolate icing across the top. "And while I was there... the Emperor himself was the dream."

"...utter nonsense," Mateus said. "You must focus on where you are now. If you let dreams cloud your mind, you will lose what you have now."

"Answer a question for me," Canti said, holding up her keeper's badge. "Why are you not listed in the party?"

"I do not go into the realms with you, so that I might keep your duties here taken care of," he explained. "We had this agreement for a long time now. I can take care of what you need done here while you are out in the field."

"That's... not right. As someone from the realms, you can't do that. That's against the rules-"

"...I do not understand. If it was against the rules, why did you not tell me while we were forging the agreement?"

"Because, I..." she sighed. "...I don't know. I don't remember. I don't remember anything about this place from before I woke up from my nap yesterday. It's like... my entire life had been what happened in my dream and suddenly, I'm here. What does that tell you?"

"Do you wish me to come with you in the field?"

That was a good question. She didn't know if she wanted that or not. It seemed like Mateus all ready had so much control over her now that it almost scared her. She didn't know how to answer. "...you should do what you believe is best," she said.

"I believe I should take you back to bed and take you until you submit," he answered. "Submit so deeply that your dreams of another reality fade from your mind and I am the only thing you can think of."

She nodded. "Then... do that..." Even if she had to tell him that she's forgotten it, she couldn't let it go. Balthier gave her that paper - Cid Highwind was alive, and she was going to find him. She had to go to the Seventh Realm. Find out what happened. Break away from him however she could. Canti had no idea how she was going to do it, but... as Mateus forced her into an incredibly hard kiss, she swore that she would get to the bottom of all of this. 


	13. Chapter 13

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. I'm just having fun with it.

Notes: When you wanna move the plot along, but you also want to write violent torture porn, what do you do?!

FIC START!

Part 13

It was a dance. A dance where one member followed the directions of the leader. Repeatedly. Over and over. No matter how many times she followed the commands he gave her, there were more to be given. Eventually, when they were both exhausted and yet again covered in sweat coming from every pore in their bodies, both Canti and Mateus collapsed naked in her bed. The light flow of air in the room made her cold, so she burrowed into her multiple layers of blankets. Even so, he still held onto the chain that connected to her collar, and she dare not move from that spot. He wasn't outwardly angry over her behavior earlier, but clearly it had affected him in ways that motivated him to spend a large chunk of the day dedicating to reasserting his dominance over her. Save for their breathing, the room was silent. When it seemed as if he wanted to mount her again, she closed her eyes, trying to be as still as possible. She loved the rush of submission, yes, but there was only so much her body could endure. She was wiped out, dizzy. Every bit of energy within her body had been spent climbing atop him and riding him at the pace he commanded her to move along, and then once he was ready enough, he rolled over and pushed her down harder than anyone ever had. And it seemed to her that he wanted more.

At least give me the chance to nap, she pleaded in her thoughts at him. I don't know if I can handle anymore...

"I am not done with you," he said, tugging on her chain just enough to force her to look at him. "You will rest when I say you will rest."

"My Emperor, please-"

"Be silent," he commanded, reaching to cup her face with his hand. It was rare to see his hands without his purple gloves on them. That skin to skin contact, the warm connection, was almost enough to make her get up and beg for another thing he wished for her to do. But Mateus looked deep within her eyes, seeing how tired she was. How distant her blue hues were in such a state. "Look at me."

Her eyes met his without saying a word.

"You cannot go further, can you?" he asked.

She only shook her head, not breaking their eye contact.

"Understood," he said. "Last thing I wish to do is hurt you by pushing you too far. I will allow your rest, only if you promise you will never dream of this... alternate world you keep speaking of. You've worried me ever since you began your prattle about this other life. I will have no more."

While she was determined to figure out what happened to Cid since Balthier had found him, she knew that it was a bad idea to speak of it to anyone now. Clearly, the people who were her party members in other lives barely even knew her here. She was going to have to work alone to solve it, and while she was scared to work without the help of the party that treated her like family, Canti wanted to have her Papa Cid back more than she ever wanted anything in her life. "I... will not speak of it anymore," she said quietly. "I did not mean to offend or hurt you at all, my love."

"I am not offended or harmed, as long as you stay here... with me," he said, kissing her forehead. "Rest now. I will go check on the efforts of your volunteers."

"If... you feel the need to do that," she said. "But... that should be my task."

"Nonsense. Your only duty is to your Emperor. Everything else will be taken care of." Mateus dressed himself slowly, always watching her very carefully. "Do not question my authority further or you will vex me, my lady."

"I understand," she nodded.

"Rest well. I have plans for later."

"You excite me like no other can, Your Majesty."

"That is only one reward of belonging to me," he said. Once he was finally dressed, he headed out of the room.

Suddenly she sat up, pulling her blanket around her body. She was going to have to work miracles to get time away from him. She wondered if this is what it was like all the time in this reality. She could totally get used to the constant release, of course, but it just wasn't right. If all there was for her here was continued intense, amazing sex.. for a moment, she had become distracted by her fantasies, and that wasn't helping! She had to find Cid Highwind! Quickly Canti shot up out of bed and reached for a fresh change of clothes. It didn't take long for her to be ready to head out the door. But when she reached to open the door, it knocked!

Depending on who that was, this could very well be a problem...

She cracked it open just to see who was there.

"Keeper Canti? I'm very sorry to disturb you, but if you have a moment, I would like to speak with you."

That voice was unmistakable! That was a voice she'd fallen into over and over again in the past, one of her most loyal companions no matter how much they fought! Perhaps in this alternate reality, they were just as close even if they weren't in the same traveling party?! She was hopeful as she pulled the door open completely. "Minwu?!" she asked happily. "I've been-"

"I'm very sorry for disturbing you..."

"No, no, you don't need to apologize!" she said. "I'm just so happy to see you!"

"While I'm glad for that, there are a few things I feel I must bring to your attention," he said. That tone of voice. They weren't friends. She knew Minwu's formal tone well enough. That was more than disappointing

"Please do," she said, doing her best to calm down.

"I am a member of the music festival volunteers," he continued. "While we've been working on things, I've seen swirls of darkness all through the main foyer."

"Swirls of darkness?" she asked in total disbelief. That was supposed to be impossible! Not in a place like this! "But this is the Royal City of Corneria. We're in a sacred place. The realms on the outside are supposed to protect us from-"

"Like I said. I was under the impression that darkness cannot touch a place protected by the Goddess like this," Minwu said. "However, there is more."

"More than that? That's a pretty big deal, Minwu."

Minwu nodded as he added, "It is indeed. Like I said before, there is more. What I find particularly intriguing about it is that... it involves you."

"Me? But... I'm nothing special."

"What I've seen says otherwise," he said. "While I went to meditate on the subject of swirls of darkness, I had a vision about you. I believe you are linked very closely to what is happening here. This is why I have come to speak directly to you instead of those in the administration office."

"I wonder why you had a vision about me," she said, not wanting to go into the complicated relationship they had together in the life where she was a dragoon. "Other than-"

"-when you brought me here, we have not had the chance to get to know each other. I know. Your bond with your fiancee seems to keep you from others. He does not like to share your time," Minwu said carefully. "Even stranger is that in this vision, I knew you. Well enough to even care for you beyond what I've ever cared about anyone. You were telling me about something regarding the life of keepers. Something I believed was incredibly pertinent to the situation going on now." He took a deep breath, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Listen carefully. These were your own words to me. 'A keeper's job is to uphold the history of the realms. By doing this, we are able to keep Chaos' darkness from coming into places of harmony. The theory is that while this is Cosmos' sacred place, on the other side of the Fifteen Realms, there is a land belonging to Chaos.'"

She felt her eyes burn a little. "...I... remember that..."

"I'm sorry?"

"Did your vision take place within an observatory covered in star charts?" she asked.

"Yes, it did," Minwu replied.

"...did you hit your head on a hammock of plush toys?"

"...yes, it did..." he said, even more weirded out. "H-how do you..."

"Minwu," she said, putting her hand on top of his. "I need your help. If darkness is appearing here, that must mean that's something's happened to the natural flow of history. And... I'm pretty sure I know exactly what's changed."

"I will help however I can. You did save me from being devoured by the darkness, after all," Minwu said, taking his hand off of her shoulder. "How do I help?"

"I have to go into the Seventh Realm without my fiancee taking notice," she said. "I have to find out what happened differently than was supposed to..."

Minwu took a step back from her and said, "I am at your disposal."

"I might need some extra help, too," she said, reaching into her bag to pull out a notebook and pencil. "Will you do me the favor of assembling this team?" She wrote down the members of her party that she was close to that would still be here. Balthier, Vanille, and Kain. "Do not tell them about your vision. Don't tell anyone that you had a vision about this or Mateus will probably react by casting Starfall XVI on the whole university."

"I will find them for you."

"Thank you," she said, ripping the paper and putting it into Minwu's hand. "I am counting on you, my friend."

He turned to leave. "Where should we meet you?"

"The armory."

"Very well."

Minwu walked off, placing the paper into one of the many pockets within his robes. Then Canti turned to march the other way, towards the galleries. As she walked, she took the chance to admire how nice the place was. But it was also very still. Quiet. Almost uncomfortably quiet for a place filled with students and heroes that crossed over thousands of years of history. She wondered what they were all off doing as she passed through different areas of the campus that she had lived in most of her life. While it was the same place as far as the archetecture, the place itself didn't feel the same at all.

That's when she noticed it. A swirl of darkness above. It ran along one of the banners that displayed the headmaster's insignia before swirling into itself. As long as she'd lived here, she'd never seen anything like this. That was something that happened in the realms when history was threatened, not something that came here... Minwu was right. She hurried as she picked up her pace.

"My love, what are you doing out of bed?" Mateus' voice said suddenly.

She smiled and tried making up some excuse on the spot, saying veru quickly, "I'm... feeling peckish! You know how it is, after having such a long session, espcially with your vigor and-"

"Let her take care of that," Minwu's voice said from where a bunch of others were working on displays for the Spring Music Festival. "I need you to over see these things..." He tapped his pen against a clipboard in his hands. "Miss Canti, please, be on your way."

"...very well. Administrative duties abound," Mateus said, heading back over there. "I expect to see you again soon, my beloved."

"Of course," she said, still trying to keep that impossibly fake smile on her face. "I'll be... right back..." With that, she did an about face and ran off as fast as she could. "You better have some cake for me!"

"I could have easily brought her a cake, if she wanted one," Balthier said. "Very peculiar, isn't it?"

"It is..." Mateus said as he looked at Minwu's clipboard. "...you want me to judge a talent show?!"

"Only the best acts can go on stage during the festival," Minwu said, shrugging. "Come on then. There's a whole line of students and keepers with acts for you to either approve or deny..."

Mateus glared at Minwu intensely, snatching it. "How about you do the judging?"

"According to the rules, only the one that is in charge of running the entire festival can do the judging," Minwu replied. "Besides. You're so good at it. Judging just happens to be one of your best talents."

"I abhor you," Mateus grumbled at him.

"Oh, that feeling is mutual," Minwu said. "If it weren't for the fact that I believe music could be exactly what saves us all, I wouldn't be helping with a festival for it."

"...music... saving us all," Mateus repeated. "You are right. However, I wish for my beloved to participate in this. Her voice is that of an angel's. Surely she must take part. Go and fetch her."

"Yes, that is a grand idea," Minwu said. "Balthier, if you would, please."

Balthier nodded. "Not a problem. We'll be right back!"

Canti opened the large, glittering golden doors into the galleries of paintings that served as gates into the flow of history. She didn't have time to check on every single realm, The longer she had been up and walking around, the more darkness had begun to seep through and circle about. She counted at least ten times there were little bits of darkness floating about just on the path between her dorm room and the gate to the galleries. That was more than alarming! Soon she came to the one marked with the symbol for Seven, and she pressed her whole weight against it. It didn't want to open at all. She tried to draw from the dragoon strength she had at one point. If she still had that strength, she'd be able to open this with no problem.

"Argh..." she groaned, "Why is this so hard to open?!"

"...this isn't the cafeteria, and that is not a slice of cake," Balthier said as he walked up to her. "Exactly what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to investigate that paper you gave me..." she explained. "But... for the first time, it seems like the Seventh Realm is locked off!"

"There's a good reason for that."

"And what would that be?! My father is trapped in there, maybe hurt or something else!"

"No, I mean, look," he pointed at the floor.

She stopped for a second to look where he was pointing. The trails of darkness that Minwu told her about were clearly coming out of this door. ",,,no!" she screamed, "You have to help me open this door, please!"

"But His Majesty has requested that you come back to help with this task-"

"I don't care about some dumb festival! Help me save my father, Balthier! Help me like I helped you!" she yelled, grasping onto him. "Why don't you remember? Doctor Cid threatend your entire world with his Sky Fortress Bahamut, and we stood at your side to stop him! I was there with you! When you had the courage to stand up to the face of evil that had corrupted a man only motivated by science and invention..." she shook him out of frustration. "...even my father, who shares the same name as yours, was there to help you and talk you through it. Why did we do it? To save the world, yes, but to also put your issues behind you! Because we loved you as family!"

He cocked his head to the side. "You... were there..."

"Yes! I was! I fought with you! And... when I was staring down the barrel of your father's gun, you stepped in and saved my life... you didn't even hestitate!"

"...I was told to forget it all the moment you accepted the Emperor's proposal... You were simply a noble lady I was to serve, nothing more..."

"But we are more than that... Ffamran... you're my..."

Balthier used all of his strength to push on the Seventh Realm door with her and they managed to burst it open, only for a large wave of darkness to wash over them, spilling out all over the hall of the gallery itself. It left Canti so cold that she was almost unable to move, but Balthier clicked off his vest and wrapped it around her as hest he could. "You're my princess," he said. "Someone that could very well make for a grand sky pirate with that attitude."

She took it slowly, going step by step. The darkness through this gallery had become something else entirely. It began to take physical form, like goopy, nasty, defouling oil. It stank of evil incarnate mixed with filth. Canti's legs up to her knees were coated in the stuff as she walked along to see the paintings of events in the Seventh Realm. It seemed like everything was going the way it should have, until she didn't see the painting that took her to Rocket Town almost ten years ago now. "Papa Cid..." she whispered. "...where are you, if you're not in Rocket Town?" she stopped when she came to a place that she didn't recognize at all. She stared at the name plate of the painting and read it aloud. "Space City... There's no town in the Seventh Realm named Space City..."

"Is that the abnormality?" Balthier asked.

"It must be," she said. "I know everything there is to know about the Seventh Realm! ...weird. There's no Rocket Town but there's a Space City...?"

"What are you doing in here?!" a voice called from the entrance of the gallery. "This is a restricted area due to contamination!"

Canti froze in place, but Balthier shook his head. "Go. Find your father," he whispered, pushing her towards it. "I'll take care of this lout."

"Are you sure?"

"A leading man would do nothing less than protect the heroine of the story," he said with a smile. "Get going. Now."

"Th-thank you, Balthier," she said, reaching up to the painting and activating its magic. The portal began to form and whoever it was coming towards them wasn't just standing there waiting. She tried to climb up there on her own, but it wasn't happening. Without that upper body strength... she could almost reach it...

Balthier used his free hand to help her just a little more so that the portal could do the rest of the work. Within a few minutes, she was sucked right through it. "Anytime, princess..." He drew his Ras Algethi from its hilt and began to load it with cartidges. He grinned, beginning to take aim. 


	14. Chapter 14

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, but it is great to use as a basis for working through trauma!

Notes:

FIC START!

Part 14

Canti fully expected to land the same way she did when she came to the Seventh Realm alone last time. Face first in the sand, surrounded by beach plug monsters, and ready to toss at them her limit break. But she didn't feel the sensation of falling at all. When she opened her eyes, she was surrouned by darkness. Deep, black. Devoid of any light at all. When she tried to stand up, even though she couldn't see anything, there was something solid beneath her. This wasn't the Seventh Realm at all. There was no place like that that she could remember. When she lifted her foot as if she was going to take a step, a light came from a short distance away. Slowly, she approached it, not sure where else to be drawn to.

"Welcome, welcome!" came an excited male voice. "Welcome, Cantirena!"

"...what is this place?" she asked as she came to the light. It was on whatever it was that she was standing on, until it began to float at the same height as her eyes. "Who are you? I'm... trying to go to the Seventh Realm..."

"I know where you're going," the voice spoke again. "You've arrived in the magical space between realms, my dear."

"What? But I'm not supposed to get caught between different areas of space-time. I have a keeper's badge," she reached into her purse to retrieve it. "See? I'm a keeper in good standing with the Eidolons, so I'm allowed passage. Even when things were bad between me and them, I was never stopped before I arrived in the realm! Let me pass!"

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," the voice answered.

"Why not?!"

"You are not of sound mind."

"I would be of sound mind, had my father not just... become a dream!" she retorted loudly.

"Cid Highwind being your father was not a dream," the voice said. It was soft and comforting. She had a hard time figuring out where it was coming from or what was saying these words.

"But... according to the records back at the library, he isn't a hero of the Seventh Realm... and the way that I remember him, he was! He lived at the university with all of us! He even said he was going to stay with me after all of the darkness is sealed!" Canti said. "Are you telling me that what I'm remembering is real?"

"It is."

"Then... what about this world where I'm engaged to Emperor Mateus?! Where he is quite literally my only companion, and I'm just some bard?!"

"This world is also real," he reassured her.

"...what?!" she shook her head. "How could that be?"

"How could it be, how could it be... there being a world where you are a confident dragoon adopted by Cid Highwind, and a world where you are a meek bard engaged to the lifelong ruler of the Palamecian Empire... this is a good question..." The light grew dimmer, just a bit, until she saw a picture of herself floating there, wearing the armor of a dragoon. Then right beside it, an image of her wearing the costume of a bard. "Two Cantirenas, side by side. How do they come to be? How do you remember becoming a dragoon? You were not born one, were you?"

"No! I made the decision to be a dragoon, to train at it! I studied under dragoons of great renown to learn how to do it!" she said very proudly.

"Indeed. Now how do you believe a version of you could have become a bard instead?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Clearly I didn't seek a relationship with the dragoons... I must have just been afraid after being... hurt... instead of trying to fight back." Canti shrugged. "I suppose I must have been scared of everyone, just looking for someone willing to take care of me and keep others away, to prevent being hurt again. I was born with the natural aptitude for singing. Even I remember people suggesting I become a bard instead of a dragoon."

Another image of her appeared, wearing the garb of a white mage. And next to that, one of her wearing the garb of a black mage. One by one the known jobs from every realm appeared until there was a gigantic circle that went around the light source, showing different versions of her.

"All of these versions of you are real," the voice said. "All of them are you. You are them. You choose who you want to be."

She stared at each of those pictures. "With my decisions..."

"Yes. Make your decisions based on where you wish to be."

"It seems like everything is all ready decided for me, though. That's why I'm here! I want to find..."

"You wish to find Cid Highwind. In one life, he is your adopted father."

"Yes! That's the life I want to return to! That's the life I miss!" she said vigorously. "How do I get back there?"

"There is no... going back there."

"But you just said-"

"Ah, ah. I don't believe you fully understood me."

"All these alternate versions of me are real!" Canti said. "So that means there's all those alternate worlds must exist, right?"

"No. There is only one unified world."

"If there's only one world, how could there be all these different versions of me?" she asked. She put her finger onto one, the one of her dressed as a samurai, and then she moved along to another version of herself that was wearing the ornate clothing of a summoner. "Unless, it's not that they all exist. It's that they're all possible... depending on the decisions I make, and who I choose to hold close to me, I could be any one of these versions of myself!"

"Correct."

"This bard version of me didn't go to run away to Rocket Town to get away from Borghen, probably because it doesn't even exist in this version of the world. I don't know what this version of me did to try to cope with her fears of that happening again. Hell, she may have not had the courage to stand up to Borghen until someone commanded him to stop, like... Mateus..." she gasped upon that realization. "Of course I would have been thankful for him saving me, and of course Borghen would back off when the order came from his own leader... Holy shit! Now I get it!"

"Make your decisions and follow through, Cantirena. No one can do this for you."

She nodded. "Right! Now... how do I get out of here?"

"Do you wish to return back to the Seventh Gallery, or do you wish to continue to the Seventh Realm?"

Canti answered, "Well. I have to figure out why Rocket Town is gone. The only way to do that is to go to the Seventh Realm and investigate. If Cid doesn't become a hero in the world where Space City exists and Rocket Town doesn't, that means I have to know what changed."

"Very well. Close your eyes."

"What? Why?"

"Close your eyes, Cantirena."

"...oh fine..." She closed her eyes.

"Now, do not open them until I tell you to do so. Can you manage this?"

"Yes. I can."

"Good."

The ground beneath her feet began to wobble under her weight. Even though she felt as if she was going to panic, she began to crack her eyes open.

"Keep them closed or I cannot send you on your way!"

"Sorry!"

She put her hands over her eyes. The space around her was changing quickly and not being able to see what it was only scared her further, but she did as she was told. She wasn't sure what she was feeling exactly, but it was... it was certainly something. A haziness. Almost like... falling asleep, or something... Well shit. That lying voice...

* * *

Canti opened her eyes. She was staring straight up at a partly cloudy sky. Soon, she noticed an airship crossing the sky. That caught her interest immediately. What it a Shinra Gelinka? Was it just a standard ship? She picked herself up off the grassy patch she had been snoozing on. She stretched herself, making a good note of her physical condition. She had to completely avoid monsters if all she had was a harp to work with. There weren't even musical weapons in the Seventh Realm! They wouldn't be effective at all! So, that meant she had to be very careful about what she chose to engage. Exactly where had she landed, anyhow?

In the distance, she noticed there was a river. And on the other side of that river was a town built in an old style nestled up against very tall mountains. She knew that was Nibelhiem instantly. Which meant that Rocket Town would be... oh, that's right. This world didn't have Rocket Town. It had... she turned the other way, noticing there was a very large, sprawling technological city that resembled Midgar or the Golden Saucer over there. That wasn't right! This was supposed to be a country village surrounding the broken rocket. That had to have been where she was going to find out what happened!

She tread very carefully, doing her best to avoid any monsters that were prowling about the land. And there were quite a few of them! When she had almost touched the border of this weird place, she had been spotted by a creepy flying monster. Canti stretched out her left arm, reaching for her weapon, feeling as if she was particularly doomed.

"Stay away!" she yelled, grasping at the strings of her harp. Canti didn't remember focusing on her harp lessons, but here her hands were going with a melody on their own. The monster only growled and charged at her, causing her to jump to the side to dodge it. "I'm... I'm warning you!"

It lunged again, this time cutting into her shoulder. Blood splattered out from the wound.

"N-no! I have to..." she stood in place, playing another song that she didn't recognize. This one was much simpler, and prettier, too. It caused the floating monster to close its eyes and fall asleep. "...find Papa Cid..." Her shoulder felt as if it was lit on fire. She looked at it, and then over at the monster's claws that dripped with venom. She gasped, wondering if in this world she had studied any white magic. Trying to concentrate her aura so she could activate her spirit, she found nothing of that within. The magical power she'd taken for granted wasn't anywhere in her. She hadn't opened those channels to bring forth the white magic in this world, even if she had the knowledge of how to activate it. "...oh shit..." With that, she tried to run away from the battle, sweating heavily. The poison was working its way through her body and with each step, she felt weaker.

The escape made it so that she was able to make it to the border of this weird techno city. Everywhere she looked through her now blurry vision, she could see celebratory messages regarding rockets. There were stars and models of planets and star charts and all sorts of space related things. Canti just wandered aimlessly, not sure where to go or who to ask, until she came to the center of town. There was a grand statue of a man holding up a flag. She walked closer, looking at the name plate on the statue.

"To commemorate the successful launch of Shin-Ra No. 26 We honor Cid Highwind, Gaia's first man in space."

Canti fell to her knees, extending her hand to touch the plate. Tears slid down her face. "...is... this... what... Cezre meant?" she asked. "If I didn't... make sure... you lost your dream, that... I'd never..." She slumped down, shaking her head. The weight of the world back home being overrun with the darkness was nothing compared to finding this out. Of course Rocket Town had its hopes of being known as the Space City. Everyone in Shin-Ra and around the world were excited about it. The failure of that rocket changed the history of the entire world, and her own history, too. In a world where he isn't a hero to learn about in class, she doesn't think to run away here to be inspired to follow in the ways of the dragoon. She doesn't pick up his habits of speaking his mind as bluntly as possible from living with him for a month. "...Papa..."

The poison had coursed through every inch of her body by then and she couldn't even pick herself back up. She felt as if she was going to die right here. That was fine, she figured. Papa Cid had the life he wanted, didn't he? Without him to support her, what was the use of defending Cosmos' sacred land anyhow? Just to return to Mateus, to submit to him to the point where she had no real identity of her own? Nah. She'd pass on that. Canti loved him, but she couldn't be as submissive as he wanted. It was... just... not... enough...

"I loved being a dragoon,,," she whispered. "...I loved my makeshift family... I- I loved _you_."

As the life force started to be pulled from her very body, her eyes closed. She was fading away. At least, if she died here, she would become one with the Lifestream. She once begged Headmaster Ramuh to allow her to just become a part of the Seventh Realm instead of existing outside it. But she was refused because Cid needed to become a hero. Ha! Well! She got what she wanted in some weird, roundabout way, now didn't she? Take that!

"Up unto the sky... **White Wind**!"

Suddenly, her eyes popped right back open and she felt energy flowing through her body again. "...wha...?!"

"You didn't think I was going to let you just die here, now did you?"

She looked over just a bit to see a familiar face standing there. "Wait... aren't you...?"

"The man depicted in this here statue? Yep! You're lucky I still had my enemy skill materia equipped!"

She immediately stood up and rushed into him, wrapping his arms around him as tightly as she could. "I've been looking for you!" she cried. "Where've you been?!"

He pulled himself from her, with an expression of both being creeped out and extreme concern. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe I know you."

"I'm Cantirena!" she said. "I'm... a really big fan of yours!"

"Is that so?"

"I've been studying the history of flight, and... well, you came up in the texts. I travelled from the other side of the world just to come meet you!" she lied blatantly. But Canti needed to know what happened differently. She did say she was going to find out so she could set things right. She remembered word for word Papa Cid's original accounts of his personal history, and she'd be able to figure out exactly what was going on with no problem! "My textbooks said that you started out as a pilot, and I really wanted to know about how you became the first man in space!"

Cid smiled at that. "Why don't you come sit with me, and I'll tell ya all about it! I started out as an eager young student, too. I'll help ya in any way I can."

"You're more amazing than people told me you were," Canti said as he led her to his house. Instead of it being a small house, broken down and filled to the brim with old parts, it was a huge mansion. "...this is your house?!"

"Yeah. Rufus made damn sure to see that I was properly rewarded for what I'd managed to do for the world."

"Um... Pa... I mean, Cid..." she said when he opened the door to the huge mansion. "I don't mean to pry, but... your big house seems so... empty..." She fully expected to see Cid's daughter and wife there in the house, but it seemed like he was the only person who lived in such a huge house. That was impractical and Cid Highwind was never a man to live in such an impractical way. They had to be here somewhere.

"I hear that silence louder than any other sound in this whole city," Cid confessed. "Lost both my daughter and my wife the same night..."

Canti remembered how Cid stopped the launch from happening because Shera was in the engine room, checking on different fuel tanks. One of them was malfunctioning and Shera was going to fix it, but she worked so carefully that Cid stopped the launch. "...I... thought she was... with you when... y'know, the launch... she was one of the mechanics in charge of working the rocket, right?"

"Oh yeah, she was. But one night..." he sighed. "...she was attacked... I was in Junon, working with the higher ups in the space program, working on all the paperwork and things like that. Came home and... my wife, pregnant with my daughter, was dead in a pile of her own blood outside town." His eyes were filling up with tears, so he immediately turned away.

Canti, however, broke down completely. So, in a life where he got his one dream, he had to give up both his wife and his daughter?! Th-that was cruel! Too cruel!

"I... I don't understand,,," Cid said, bewildered. "Why... why are you..."

"There's a lot you don't know," she said, forcing herself to stand up. She had to fix this. Whoever took out Mama Shera was going to get the full force of her wrath! "I'm so sorry, Cid, but... there's something I have to do."

"But... didn't you want to hear the story-"

Canti wiped her face and looked at him as she said, "I just pray the next time I see you that you remember me..." With that, she ran out of the door as fast as she could, activating her keeper's badge before she even reached the town's border. If Papa Cid became an empty shell of himself... then she had to be the one... to take the dream away from him. Her heart ached from losing him, but it ached even more to see him in such an empty state. What use was getting a dream that he couldn't share with his family? She had to do the right thing!


	15. Chapter 15

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, but it sure owns a piece of my soul.

Notes:

FIC START!

Part 15

The moment Canti landed in the Seventh Gallery, she was surrounded by all kinds of people. Instantly, someone cast a paralysis spell, causing her to fall to her knees. The sparks traveled through her nerves, preventing her from being able to go anywhere.

"You've gotten into plenty of trouble in the past, but running blindly into a contaminated area...? I'm most disappointed in you."

"H-headmaster...?" she asked, unable to even raise her head up to look at him. "Y-you don't understand, sir! I'm trying to fix what went wrong..." Canti tried to force her body up, but she didn't have the endurance. "The Seventh Realm has a hole allowing for the chaotic energy because one of the heroes isn't..." It was becoming harder to breathe as she struggled. "...the world's in danger if you don't-"

Ramuh touched her head. "Arrest our dear keeper for conspiring with the forces of Chaos..."

"But- but I'm not!" she yelled out. "Cid Highwind's history has been changed! Space City isn't supposed to exist!"

He glared at her, shaking his head. "You dare defy the records you've sworn to uphold... I know you've had a hard time, child, but I never expected such behavior of you." He removed his hand from her, "Take her away."

"You've got it all wrong," she said as masked men began to drag her out of the gallery. "The longer this goes on... the more dangerous it'll be for everyone!" Canti did her best to try to break free of them, but it was no use. They were far stronger than she was. Ugh. Damn bard physical strength. "Papa Cid, he's- he's the answer to the reason- Lemme go!" She looked around to see if she could see anyone that would back her up. They passed many a keeper and hero alike. All of them stared at her. She had been such a source of trouble, hadn't she? Their eyes held only contempt for her. Just some orphan girl. Bad blood, many had called her years ago. Not meant for anything. When she saw a face in the crowd that she would have reached out to, it was only in a past life that she had connected with them. In this one, she didn't connect to literally anyone at all. Who was she going to call for help, then? She didn't want to do this. but who else would she call upon now? "M-my love? My Emperor, where are you?!"

But he didn't come.

"Well... shit..." she grumbled as they continued to drag her through the main foyer of the campus. "...now how can I save Papa Cid?!"

* * *

One moment Canti was standing with her hands tied together, and the next... she had no earthly idea as to where she was. Her mind was cloudy, unable to focus on anything. Thoughts came and left quicker before she could catch one enough to try to think about it. There were all sorts of visions in her head, too. Things from this life, that life, things that came up only because she had that discussion in a place between realms. Things she didn't understand, or didn't have the chance to figure out to understand. Her brain hurt. Ached. Worse than any migrane or other head pressure she'd ever endured before.

Soon, a drop of liquid landed on her head, and her mind was instantly clear. She found herself in a very dark chamber, sitting on a mattress suspended up to the wall with heavy chains. "Wha...?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. "...was that... Confusion?"

"You'd never been hit with a Confusion spell?"

"Because I have an accessory that prevents it," she said, turning to see who had cured her. Mateus stood there for a moment before he sat down next to her. "Or, rather... I had one. In... in that..."

"In your dream."

She shook her head. "It's not a dream," she said, trying to keep herself from raising her voice at him. "But... _you_!"

"Why are you so vexed?"

"When I called for you, you didn't come for me. I thought..."

"I did promise you after I killed Borghen that I would always be there for you," Mateus said, putting his hand on hers. "However, the moment the darkness came from that gate... those masked men came looking for me. I believe they still are."

"Headmaster Ramuh said that you were influencing me... so... how the hell are you here?!"

"I've procured assistance," he said, pointing to a swirling gate of darkness on the nearby wall. "Come with me. I will see to your protection."

"I don't want your protection!" she snapped. "I have to set things right..."

"Exactly what is wrong?"

"You aren't going to believe me."

"Try me."

"My dream wasn't a dream at all. It's real. All of it happened. But because something happened to affect the flow of time that completely messes up with my own personal history," she explained. "And I know when the time ripple completely changed everything to boot."

"A single action completely changed the flow of your personal history," Mateus repeated it thoughtfully.

"Yes. Now I only came back so I can re-enter the flow of time at a point where I can prevent this event from happening, but... I suppose when the darkness itself began to pour out of the place that I had just gone into, that would make me appear guilty to those that have no idea what's going on," she said. "I didn't do this. When the world changed, I was taking a nap."

He reached to her face, pulling her chin so she would face him. There was very little light in here, but there was enough for her to see his face. "Is the place where you are now so bad that you must change history back to the way it was?" he asked.

"My Emperor," she said, smiling at him. "You are the best thing in my life where it is right now. I will never deny how much I love our relationship, how much I treasure having you as close as you are."

"Then, surely you know that if you were to reset your history..."

"I will not lose you," Canti said, leaning into his hand. "If having this experience has told me anything, it's that I have to make decisions based on where I wish to be in life. I have to stand up to you and to the rest of my party to make you co-exist peacefully. If I want to be with you, I have to decide that I want to be with you and make it happen." She smiled before she stood up. "And I want to be with you as much as I want to save Papa Cid. My beloved Emperor."

"Are you certain?" he asked.

"Yes!" she suddenly rushed into his arms, squeezing him tightly. "Will you please help me make this right?"

Mateus returned the hug, though it was not something he was used to. "What kind of Emperor would I be if I refused you this? You've been unsatisfied with things as they are now. I will assist in whatever manner I am capable," he whispered in her ear. "Promise me that you will not forget me once you have your father back."

"I promise," she replied. "So. Take me to the armory, if you would."

"Take you... to the armory?"

"Yeah! I gave Minwu a secret mission!" she said, winking at him.

"Minwu? But... why?"

"I'll explain when we get there," she said. "Just take me all ready! The longer we wait, the longer this part of the world is in danger of being completely destroyed. And that includes your... our beloved home realm. I don't want your beautiful castle atop a mountain to succumb to this overwhelming evil. I'd actually like to go there someday."

He stood up alongside her, leading her through the swirling dark portal. "Your rebellious nature..."

"...I'm sorry I'm not her. That version of me that was timid, afraid of everything, relied on you for everything. I'm sorry that I decided to be-"

"Do not apologize," Mateus shook his head. "Take my hand and do not let go. I dare not lose you to this."

"I understand." She stepped into it to follow him.

* * *

In the armory, Minwu paced back and forth. He saw Balthier strengthening his pistol out of the corner of his eye. The seer could not sit still. There was far too much on his mind for him to just sit there and wait. The party he managed to assemble was one member shorter than what was requested of him and he wondered if that was why Canti had not come back. Kain was there, leaning up against the wall, his helmet covering up all of his face except for his chin. Minwu couldn't make out whether the dragoon was asleep or not. They had been waiting ever since Balthier came running from the Seventh Realm gate. Mateus had vanished from judging the talent show and the entire populace of the university had gone mad due to the abundance of the swirling pockets of evil energy. They were coming that much faster since Canti had gone into the Seventh Realm. And those men, with the masks... on the hunt for anyone that had any connection to Canti, too.

"How much longer should we wait?" Kain asked quietly.

"I will wait for her eternally if I must," Minwu confessed. "I have seen visions - she is paramount to stopping all of this."

"They say she is the one that caused it..." Kain muttered.

"No," Balthier said, checking his ammunition rounds hanging in the holsters on his belt. "It was seeping out from below the door before she was even there at all. This leads me to believe there is some other culprit."

A dark swirl began to take shape in the armory against one of the walls, and all three of them reached for their weapons. They all expected the worst, until a small hand stuck out of it.

"What...?" Minwu gasped, approaching it with his staff ready to fire bolts of Holy if anything untowards came out of that gate.

A few seconds later, Canti's head stuck out of it. "Whoa. This is so much easier than walking everywhere! We're actually here!"

"If you shout, you are more likely to be spotted by authorities," Mateus' voice scolded her. He stepped out of the portal first, and Canti followed him.

"You've arrived! Finally!" Minwu said. "I'd begun to worry."

"I had, too," she said. "But we don't have time to worry. Right now, we need to go back to the Seventh Realm!"

"You do remember how the darkness was beginning to take form, don't you?" Balthier asked.

"Yes. And if we don't stop it, it's going to infect all the other realms. It'll destroy this sacred place," Canti said, putting her hands on her hips. "So. Balthier, I assume that you've procured my purse by now."

"I am a sky pirate, after all. T'was child's play to snatch my lady's purse from these masked men," Balthier said, passing it to her. "But... you didn't issue the order. How would you have known-"

"I know you better than you think I do," she said, opening it up. "All right. My keeper's badge and identification cards are still in here. That's good. Now, Minwu, Balthier, Kain, and Vanille will..." she looked around for a moment. "What? Where's Vanille?"

"I tried to approach her, but she refused to leave Fang once she'd become infected," Minwu explained.

"Infected? Like, how?"

"The darkness. It. Caught her."

"Fuck," she swore, causing all of them to gasp in surprise. "All right. I still have someone with immense magical power on my side." She looked over at Mateus. "I believe I need your assistance, my Emperor."

"You have it," he said simply.

"I don't know if whatever I have to kill will need physical force or magic to take it down," she said, pressing her keeper's badge and hovering it over the card within her wallet. "I authorize a change in team. Members are Minwu, Kain, Balthier, and Mateus. Keeper is Cantirena." The badge and card glowed for a moment before the names listed on the card changed to those she named. "This way you can go with me and you'll be protected by my keeper's badge."

"So. What exactly are we doing?" Kain asked.

"We're going to save my mother so my father remains my father," Canti said.

"Uh. What."

"Just come help me save my family and the world all ready!" she shouted at him. "I'm not gonna put up with anyone giving me any more shit!" She put her harp onto the table nearby to strengthen it with as many orbs as she could get to fit on it. "Now come on!" She wrapped her purse back around her shoulder and double checked her equipment. "Get your asses in gear!"

"You've grown louder," Mateus thought aloud.

"Personally, I like her better this way!" Balthier said, laughing. "Lead the way, princess."

She turned around again to look at the team. "I need you to cover me. Do whatever it takes. Once I cross into the painting I need to go through, I can pull you through automatically since you're linked to me. It's a tad disorienting, but I can't think of any other way to make this work."

"Just do what you have to," Minwu said to reassure her.

"Whatever happens here isn't permanent," Canti said. "It's a tad complicated and may not make any sense to you, but just trust me on this. If you have to strike down someone, then do it."

"Understood," Kain grunted, tightening the grip on his spear.

"Time to go," she said, pushing the door of the armory open. Outside, the hall was full of all kinds of people from rubberneckers trying to see what the problem was and gawk at how badly it was being handled to the authorities trying to clean up the mess. There were professors and even human form of eidolons walking about, talking over many others around them. "Mateus?"

"Yes?" he asked, somewhat annoyed he'd been called by his name, rather than his title.

"I just want to say one thing before we start this."

"Do not hold me in suspense."

"I love you." She lifted her harp and began to play a melody to cause onlookers to fall asleep. This garnered some attention from others that the song did not reach, which prompted her to dart off in the direction of the Seventh Gallery. The chase had begun. As Canti dodged people coming at her, behind her the four men she'd gathered to help her stood to form a wall to prevent anyone else approaching her.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Mateus said, charging lightning between his fingers.

"Perhaps a bit too much," Minwu grunted, casting a magical barrier around the four.

"Is there such a thing as too much fun?" Balthier asked, cocking his gun.

Kain only took a defensive stance.


	16. Chapter 16

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Notes: Does this technically count as songfic with lyrics? I'm curious now.

FIC START!

Part 16

Canti had made it through waves of masked men, heroes, and keepers alike. The entire university seemed to be against her. But this was the world they knew. This was where they decided to be. If her convictions were so strong, she had to stand up for them, in the face of literally anyone. When she came to the gate that led into the Seventh Gallery, she came face to face with someone she didn't expect to see.

"Ah, Cantirena... look at you..."

She grit her teeth. "Cezre?!" she grumbled, preparing to run her fingers through her harp strings. "What are you doing here?!"

"I was surprised when Headmaster Ramuh put in a request for me to be a part of this force," Cezre said calmly, walking up to her. "I thought I had been banished from this place eternally, and yet here I stand. I must thank you for that."

"Why would the headmaster ask for you?" she asked.

"He wanted me to appeal to your better judgement. He believes the reason you are doing this is out of extreme desperation. A culmination of many events that have rendered you without family," he continued. He stopped right in front of her. "I'm sorry that I had to be banished and leave you alone here, dear sister."

"...what?"

"You and I are both the children of Ciomi Aleria and Deumion, and I'm sorry that those memories were taken from you so you wouldn't pine for me. Figuring that out, I realized exactly how egregious my actions in the past really were," he said, shrugging. "But because I made some mistakes trying to change things so our mother didn't have to die, I was cast out. Keepers are meant to uphold the history of all realms. The heroes stood up to the forces of Chaos in every world, saving ours. That's why the history is so important."

"I am upholding history!" she shouted at him angrily. "The history of the Seventh Realm has been altered! That's why there's all this darkness everywhere!"

"With the evidence presented, I am inclined to believe it," he said softly. "I do not wish to stop you."

"Then step aside!"

"As a keeper, I can't," he said, reaching to summon a staff to his left hand. It was much taller than he was. He took a defensive stance before her, ready to guard the door into the Seventh Realm. "You must surpass me."

She felt her rage build. "Get the hell out of my way!"

"As your brother, I do wish for your ultimate happiness," he confessed. "There is a reason why I allowed Mateus the use of my shadows. I did not wish you to be alone... what a difficult place you've put me in."

Canti shook her head. "You-"

"Come at me as if you wish to kill me, dear sister, or I will see you put on trial for your crimes!"

She laughed for a moment. "I've been to the Eidolon court... I'm sure as hell not going back."

His staff moved faster than any other mage's staff she'd ever seen. It was quick and he handled it almost like she would have handled a spear. It wasn't the same as a mage's staff, meant to enhance magic, but it was meant for swift spinning moves. There was a blade at both ends shaped almost like a scimitar. It reminded her far too much of a propeller. She jumped back every time he charged at her with it, but without being able to use a spear, she didn't know how she was supposed to counter that attack. He spun it around a few more times, and each time she dodged it until she was up against the wall.

"If I'm your sister, why would you fight me like this?!" she asked when his blade had come up against the skin of her neck.

"The sad truth of this institution?" Cezre asked, pressing it closer. "Family does not matter. Love does not matter. All that matters are the histories, so that this sacred land that belongs to our Goddess Cosmos may remain untouched by Chaos' unstable energies. I love you as you are family-"

"Bullshit!" Without even hesitating, Canti channeled energy from her hands and shot it from her palms. It caused Cezre to be blown back enough to give her space to run around him and towards the Seventh Gallery's main door. "Damn this reality where I'm just some bard! I need my dragoon strength back!" she was laughing loudly as she ran through the cover of darkness.

Cezre nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Being a meek bard does not suit her spirit. She is right."

"This is it, isn't it?" Mateus asked, causing Cezre to turn around. "The final phase."

"Yes," Cezre answered. "...Do your part. I'm counting on you,"

"Perhaps you should do _your_ part, as you are still being watched," Mateus quipped.

Immediately, their staves crossed and they both bore the other expressions of animosity. They clanged several times, both of them using their spare hands to charge up dangerous magic. But each blow was blocked by the other. Cling-clang! After a few turns at that, Mateus raised up his arms. A magic circle formed below his feet and powerful energy swirled about him. He let out a mighty, crazed laugh. The magics he conjured were not to be played with. Cezre rushed in and gave him a blow to the stomach, causing that spell to fade the moment Mateus lost his concentration. They shared more blows until Mateus seemed as if he was defeated. He took to his knee, not looking up.

"This criminal will be put on trial for his crimes," Cezre said loudly, causing others who had watched the battle to cheer. "Carrying chaos energy and using it to corrupt one of our own... is something that no Eidolon will ever forgive."

"Insolence!" As Mateus appeared to resign to his fate, he felt his inner essence being pulled away from there. He was being summoned. It wasn't the first time he felt that tug on his soul like that, but it was the first time he would go to it willingly. He closed his eyes and let himself, just for a moment, actively submit to that sensation, and within a few seconds, he had completely vanished from where he was being held.

"Ah! Dastardly villain!" Cezre shouted, looking around. He saw in the distance that three others vanished in the exact same way after they had been captured by other authorities. "Be on the lookout for them! They can be literally anywhere! The powers of Chaos are vast and exploitative! Do not rest until you find them!"

People scattered in a panic. There was yelling and screaming and fighting all over the place. Scrambling to get to safety and to search every inch of the campus in and attempt to find the wayward criminals.

"Unlock the Crystal Melody, dear sister..." Cezre whispered, turning to look at the gate into the Seventh Realm right next to him.

* * *

Canti landed a safe distance away from where Rocket Town was supposed to be standing. She pulled her keeper's badge out of her purse and pressed it to her heart, making something of an all-call to everyone listed on her identification cards. Within a few minutes, the party she named as her own appeared around her. That took so much out of her that she fell backward, being caught by none other than Balthier.

"You all right?" he asked, whipping out an Ether.

"I'm fine. Just not used to this bullshit bard constitution," she said, pulling her back up on her feet. "So. Is everyone here?"

Mateus only gave a nod, while Kain and Minwu both rose their hands to signal they were also present.

"Great!" she shouted. "Now based on what Papa Cid told me, right before the launch of the Shinra No. 26-" she pointed at where the rocket was still standing "-that huge ass thing right there-" Canti cleared her throat. "His wife, Shera, was his assistant. Or one of them, anyway. He'd gone out of town to Junon to do some paperwork, and Shera was here overseeing some things. We have to find and protect her."

"Does the existence of this one woman really change so much about this world?" Kain asked. "One woman, insignificant to the flow of history-"

"She's vital not only to this world, but to my own personal history," she said. "Without her, I'm just..." she gestured at herself. "...just this."

As they were standing there forming a plan, one woman was starting to walk outside of the town's border.

"Would that be your wayward mother?" Balthier asked.

Canti immediately turned her head, instantly recognizing her. That brown ponytail and those glasses pushed all the way up to sit on the bridge of her nose. Even though her walk was almost like a waddle, she nodded and felt her eyes burn with tears. "...Mama..." she whispered, wanting to run over there to her. Mateus put up his arm to stop her. "...What? Don't tell me you're having second thoughts now..."

"No. You are overcome with emotion. She will not understand if you begin telling her that you are her daughter from another reality," he said sternly. "Think about your approach."

"I don't have time to sit and think! Those guys that chased us could be here at any time!" she begged him to let her pass, and he wouldn't. "My love, why do you deny me?"

"I deny you nothing, but you only have one chance," he whispered. "Gather your thoughts. Calm yourself."

She took a deep breath, drying her eyes. He was right that Shera wouldn't understand if she just ran up and started bawling on the woman's shoulder. They didn't meet until well after the rocket's failed launch, so it wouldn't make sense to bring that up. When she was here the first time, Rocket Town had been constructed. Out here there was not much more than a few huts of mechanics and assistants that worked for Shinra. Canti nodded, doing her best to keep her composure. "...that's right," she said. "Thank you."

"We will stand by until you need us," Minwu said. "Our appearances alone would confuse her."

"Fantastic idea," she agreed, and Mateus let his arm fall to his side. She looked up at him, and he motioned towards Shera. "I mean it. Thank you."

"Do not hesitate," he said in that commanding tone of his. It sent shivers down her spine. Good shivers.

Canti left the rest of her party, who were hiding in the closest brush to the city. Much of the plains had been cleared away to make room for the launchpad of the rocket. There were still monsters, but not as many as they expected in the area. She walked along the hill, anxious about whatever it was she was going to have to fight to save Shera. She had no idea what kind of creature it would be. Sure, it could be just a normal monster, but it also might be something like a Shizo, or a Godhand, or maybe even a piece of Jenova?! What... what if it was something like a Weapon?! There were all kinds of frightening boss category creatures that lived in the Seventh Realm, after all. Shera was not at all combat experienced, so even a tiny monster could have had a good shot at taking her down.

That's when she saw something. Canti raced along faster, her heartbeat picking up as she threw her entire body in the run. What was that? she asked herself, squinting to try to make it out. The sun was setting, after all. A monster was right there. Blue, with multiple legs. She gasped loudly when she realized the boss creature that guarded Mount Nibel had left its home to come out this far. "...Materia Keeper," she breathed out in disbelief. She hated the image of that jagged monster in the Monsterology textbooks, but the image of a Materia Keeper in the flesh... yikes...

Shera fell to the ground and let out a yelp. "No, please, please! I can't die now! Not until I-" she cried. The gigantic bug raised its two front claws that gave off a few sparks of electricity.

"Get away from her!" Canti shouted as she jumped between them to take the blow herself. The pain seared through her back as she collapsed right in front of Shera. It stung like hell, as if she'd fallen into a huge electric hornet's nest only to be bit by all of them.

"What? Who are you-"

"Don't worry..." Canti whispered, forcing herself to stand up. "...I won't... let you die..."

Shera looked up at her, unsure of what to do. "You're bleeding..." she said, shaking her head. "...you can't possibly fight that on your own..."

She pulled out her harp, determined to stand her ground no matter what. "I'm a Highwind," she declared, throwing all caution to the wind. "I refuse to give in!"

Soon, her team came to her side, also posed for battle. Minwu quickly escorted Shera back to a place within the protective town borders so that no other monsters could touch her. Kain took his place as the front of the party, with Balthier to his side. Mateus cast Haste upon the four present. The Materia Keeper lunged for Canti again, but with the boost in speed, she was able to dodge it easily enough. Kain used Lancer as a first attack, not really knowing how to fight this monster. It did not seem to cause the monster too much harm. So, to try to make it more vulnerable, Balthier hit it with an ability to drop its defensive ability, which seemed to make it wince a tiny bit upon impact.

"How do we fight this one?" Kain asked. "I've never once seen this kind of creature."

"Materia Keepers have incredibly strong defenses, and they channel the power of electricity within their limbs," Canti said quietly. "They also can use their front claws to tear through bodily organs with no problem at all. That's it's strongest attack, but... that's not the worst ability it has."

"What IS the worst it can do?" Balthier asked.

The front two arms of the monster let off sparks and she gasped. "Prepare for impact," she whimpered.

The Materia Keeper pointed its front two arms at them, releasing a huge pyramid-shaped container of electric energy. It hit all four of them, causing them all to fall to the ground. Canti collapsed onto the ground, barely registering where she was. Kain tried to prop himself up with his spear, but he was ready to flop over. Balthier groaned loudly in pain as he felt the sparks of electricity prickle through all of his limbs. Mateus had fallen to his knees, only watching Canti carefully. It hissed at them, all ready poised to start picking them off one by one.

"You must stand," Mateus said. "This is your fight."

"My body won't even move..."

"You must push through your pain," he insisted. The Emperor put his hands out and cast a Stop spell upon the Materia Keeper before it had the chance to run it's claws through Balthier. "We will all die here if you do not."

"You... are all so much better in combat than I am," she said. "Now that I'm just some _bard_."

"When you were a dragoon, were you just 'some' dragoon?" he asked.

"No... I had a name that mattered, and I had ability to back it up."

"Right now," he whispered. "You are..."

"Cantirena Palamecia... the Star Singer."

" **Embrace it**!" he shouted at her, losing his ability to remain calm. Someone had to push her to stand back up. "You may be fighting to be who you were before, but to get there, you must accept who you are now! You long to hold a spear in your hand, but right now..."

Canti looked at the harp she had in her hand. "...I'm holding... this... harp..."

"Be who you are in this moment! Stop pushing it away!"

She did her best to pick herself up off the ground, her body being that much harder to move due to her wounds. Canti felt her heart swell up with all sorts of energy. It wasn't something she was particularly used to, as she didn't really embrace the Star Singer title before. That was her mother's title, which made her afraid to embrace it. That was the old way of Mysidia, and even though she was of the bloodline, she didn't really feel as if she was native of Mysidia. She didn't want to inherit something that belonged to someone else, she wanted to be her own person with her own achievements. That was something she fought for, trained hard for. But in this moment, she had to confront that. Canti didn't want to just be her mother. She wanted to be herself. She strummed her fingers across the strings of the harp. The stars above were twinkling, inspiring the notes that would come from her playing. That was what the Star Singer did, wasn't it? Communication with the heavenly bodies themselves?

 _"Holding onto the memory_  
 _Of a hero long ago..._  
 _Your words echo in my mind,_  
 _but the darkness won't let go..."_

Her teammates felt the energy brought forth by her heart being activated this way. It seemed to boost them and give them the courage to stand up and fight. Mateus stood close to her, tossing out Firaga every turn. Kain finally took to the skies to see if he could jump on it. Balthier was done trying to break its defenses and did his best to aim his gun at the head of the monster to just take it out in one shot.

 _"You gave it all to save us,_  
 _and the place we called home.._  
 _You were the strongest man I ever knew,_  
 _and now I'm on my own..."_

As her words came out, tears flowed from her eyes freely. All of the emotion she'd carried within could be felt within everyone on the team. Her drive to fight to be who she wanted to be, her quest to be reunited with her father, the need to understand love in its deepest capacity, the desire to simply live in peace with those she shared a connection to. All of them were just as motivated as she was.

 _"I've got no other choice,_  
 _This is my only destiny..._  
 _I'll make them all pay for_  
 _ripping apart my family!"_

Soon the energy that swirled about her and gave her team motivation began to take another form. On the ground where they all stood, crystals began to sprout. As her harp continued to be plucked for each note, the crystals shimmered just as brightly as the stars. Mateus couldn't take his eyes off of them. Was this what Cezre was looking for all along?! He had no idea of what this was, but at least the name made sense. Her voice carried louder, causing her to float above the ground. As she lifted up with the crystal vines, the crystals responded. They faced up towards the sky and the full moon above.

 _"I don't care about a prize,_  
 _I don't care about fame!_  
 _I will give my all to save this world,_  
 _and live up to my name!"_

A beam of light shot from the moon onto the crystal vines which glowed that much brighter. The harp's strings snapped, causing her to raise her hand at the Materia Keeper. All of the energy pent up between her heart being activated and the beam of the light from the moon unleashed at once, causing the entire environment to fade to a super bright white. Canti felt her eyes close as she fell backward with no guilt in her system. The crystal vines that sprouted at her command curled up to catch her. They lowered her down to be with the rest of her team before going right back into the ground whence they came.


	17. Chapter 17

The Crystal Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy

Notes: This is it! The true ending of Canti's Record Keeper story has arrived!

FIC START!

Part 17

Vanille had been pacing back and forth, unable to think about anything at all since Fang had become infected with this dark energy. She feared that Fang would turn against them, that she might have to lift her staff against her dearly beloved. She couldn't sit still, she couldn't discard her fear. That room in the infirmary only left her feeling more claustrophic the more she stayed in there. The worries, the fears, they were nothing short of overwhelming. But, suddenly, she felt something else that she couldn't quite place. Was it magic? It wasn't like any magic she was aware of. But once she felt that... that something else... Fang coughed loudly and the dark energy within her just faded away. Just a few moments, and her body was just as if she was never infected at all. From down the hall, in other rooms, she could hear people celebrating. Others were waking up. The dark swirls were fading away. She heard someone in the distance say all of the shadow creatures that were prowling about the halls of the university were no more. They simply vanished. She couldn't help but wonder if her favorite keeper had something to do with that. She did hear many say that Canti was the only one that tried to get back into the sealed area. Made her kind of sad that she couldn't be a part of that mission. Must have been one hell of a doozy...

In the room right across from Fang's, Ricard Highwind ran out and said, "Hey! He's back!" Some more people, both heroes and keepers alike came to see what it was. This caused Vanille to want to see what was going on. She made her way there, squeezing between all those who had come to see him. The man they had come to see was none other than one of Vanille's own party members, the Ace Pilot Cid Highwind. She was just as happy to see him sitting up and able to gather himself as she was to see that Fang was doing better. Their party was like a family. Sometimes members were shuffled in and out, but that didn't change the bond they shared while they were together. Battle was one of the strongest ways to form bonds. She considered the party she shared in the Thirteenth Realm just as much a family, too. Vanille remembered it very clearly.

"Missy," Cid said, pointing at Vanille. "I'm glad to see you."

"Same to you, Cid," she said, smiling. "How are you feeling?"

"...well, at least I don't feel completely numb or cold anymore," he answered. "You know where my smokes are?"

"They're not in your jacket pocket?"

"I... don't really know where my jacket is..." Cid sighed, looking around the little infirmary room. "Speaking of having lost things..."

"Lost things?"

"...where is my daughter?"

"Well. I... _Actually_... have no idea."

"What?! What do you mean you have no idea where she is?!" Cid asked. "But you're one of her trusted companions... if she'd gone out, you're _supposed_ to be with her-"

"You don't understand. The moment you fainted, the world... it started to change. Things..." she tried to remember exactly what happened. "...there was darkness, here even in the land of light... and the only one that was trying to do anything about it, or... maybe the one that was making it happen, I don't really know, was Canti herself? It's weird, but... I wasn't there because Fang got hurt. I couldn't leave her, she was on the verge of death." Vanille frowned. It seemed that her memories were very warped. Before Cid began to vanish, she remembered very clearly. But everything between that moment and seeing that Fang was okay was a whole mess in her head. "I'm so sorry."

"Nah. It's okay. If there was darkness here, that means someone fucked up with history, Ha. That means she went off to go fight it. That's my baby girl!" he grinned. And then it hit him. "...we have to find her."

"Now that I know Fang is okay, I'll go tell her that I'm going with you." Vanille darted across the hall to give her girlfriend the biggest hug she could manage, squeezing her until their hearts were up against each other. They discussed many things and shared a few loving laughs. Clearly, all was right in their world, and but not was all right in the world around here. She explained that she just had to go find her keeper, and Fang understood. They shared a kiss before separating, and together, Cid and Vanille went scouring the entire university to see if they could find any answers.

* * *

Kain, Mateus, Minwu, and Balthier had gathered around Canti after seeing that incredible magical display just a short while ago. They felt some sort of pulse go straight through them, and when it had vanished, both Mateus and Balthier vanished. They both could see exactly why that happened. It seemed as if history had gone back to where it needed to be. Minwu leaned down to check her vitals and cast a few white magics on her to ensure that she'd be fine, but she was still out cold. The magic in her body seemed to have faded entirely. That made sense, considering all that had happened here lately. Kain bent down to pick her up, not really sure of how to feel about all of this. Minwu reached into her purse, pressing her keeper's badge. And with just a little - ** _bwip_** \- the magic had carried them back to the Seventh Gallery. The whole place was filled with incredibly confused masked men and keepers that had no idea as to what just happened. Minwu looked back at paintings from later on within the history, and Rocket Town was standing where it should have been. He smiled. That meant all was right with the world again. She figured it out and fought against it, against all odds.

Kain carried her though the entire mess that was the student body towards the infirmary. At first, no one noticed him or who he was carrying. But once someone noticed who he was carrying, many people began to pay attention, asking questions of all kinds. Some of them made a mention about how this always happened around the time of the Spring Festival, and he couldn't help but agree with the assessment. Why did that always happen, anyway? Isn't that why Doctor Mog told her to remain on campus this time? Of course, she could never listen. Canti never thought like others around here, always bound to the command of authority. She always thought outside the normal conventions. It got her in so much trouble, but... even though he was the type to listen, he was quite glad that she was the type that didn't.

Emperor Mateus stood in the shadows, following every step Kain took in carrying Canti towards somewhere she could be examined, to find exactly what had happened. At one moment, he was by her side, encouraging to fight as hard as she could, and now here he was, confined to being nothing more than a stalker. He sighed. Would she remember what she told him? He only allowed her to fix the history because she promised to come back to him. She was being laid down, hooked up to medical machines. White mages and concerned busybodies alike worried over her. It wasn't until everyone had decided to leave her to rest for a moment that he even considered walking out of the shadows to see her.

"You never hesitate."

"Cezre..."

"I'm surprised at you. You, of all people. Stopping to consider how someone feels before you-"

"Be silent!"

"I must thank you. Being able to finally see what it was all about was quite amazing. The legacy of our mother was _something else_."

"What will you do now?"

"What else will I do? Go back to where I belong, of course. Chaos has his chosen as much as Cosmos does."

"Your powers have been useful," Mateus said, turning to look at him. "I cannot help but imagine what would happen if your sister had been blessed the way you were."

"No. If both of the children of Deumion were as dangerous as he, and set in a place beyond history... why, the world would not exist. There always has to be a balance, you know. Too much light and too much darkness both are bad for us all. There is a reason why the twin tomes Destroy and Restore were made to counter each other," Cezre laughed. "Though, I must ask you a favor."

"...Another?"

"Indeed. To be honest, I have twenty three tiny requests, but I'll make it easier for you and just ask for one."

"Name it."

"Do take care of my sister. If you decide you do not wish to be intimate with her now, that is fine. But assist her as you can. I will warn you. She didn't remember me before time fluctuated, and she may not remember me now. If that is the case, I impore you to let it be. After all the things I've done, I don't deserve to be remembered." Cezre reached into his pocket and placed a pouch within Mateus' hand. "If you marry her, give her this."

"If I do not?"

"Keep it as a sign that in one timeline, she's yours." He said, shrugging. "Goodbye, Mateus."

"Goodbye, Cezre." When Cezre's presence faded, so did his powers of darkness. That ass left him standing in the center of that infirmary room, staring straight at Canti.

Hurriedly, Cid and Vanille raced in, mad at themselves for not having known that she was here. They immediately noticed Mateus standing there.

"What are you doing here?!" Cid asked.

"She saved me..." he replied. "...should I not offer my proper respects?"

"That is reasonable," Cid answered, walking in a bit further.

Vanille cocked her head to the side and asked worriedly, "How long has she been like this?"

"...my memory isn't clear on everything," Mateus said, shaking his head a little. "I do remember being at her side for the battle against a wayward Materia Keeper, I believe she called it."

"That spider that lives on Mt. Nibel?!" Cid gasped. "She's _terrified_ of that thing."

"For you, she'd face any challenge. Please do not betray that love," the Emperor said, walking up to Canti's side. "A few white magic spells took care of her wounds, but considering she tapped into her Ancient Mysidian powers in that fight to save your wife..."

"Shera was danger... where was I?!"

"You yourself weren't around," he continued. "She said something about someone changing the flow of time in a way that not only changed the Seventh Realm, but changed her own personal history. Time travel and manipulation are more than complex. I could not comprehend it all, if I were some typical mechanic."

Cid came up to her side, too, glancing up at Mateus. "You were at her side during that battle?"

"Yes."

"I know I haven't treated you well since we brought you here, and I'm sorry about that. If you helped my daughter, I have to thank you," he said with a nod. "So. Thank you."

"I will never be too far away," Mateus said. "If she comes looking for me, I will answer her call."

"I didn't think you were that sort of person," Cid laughed.

"I am not. I do not 'do' requests, as the artists say."

"Then why would you do it?"

"Cid Highwind," Mateus said directly, "Is it not obvious to a man of your ability exactly why that is?" He almost cracked a smile. "I know I'm not the first to say these sorts of things."

"My daughter, the heartbreaker," Cid said with a sigh. "Can't she be like her dear old papa Cid and have a heart just for one?"

"Cantirena Highwind is a young woman that is capable of many things, but I am not so sure if that is one of them," Mateus answered, finally taking his leave. "Allow me to give you space. This entire experience came to be simply due to the bond between the both of you. I am sure she would rather have your company than mine."

"Since when were you considerate?" Vanille asked, glaring at the Emperor as he passed her.

"...do not misunderstand. I was only reflecting on a timeline where I was engaged to your keeper," he replied, causing both Vanille and Cid to gasp in response. "What I remember of it. Regardless. Give her my... love, would you?"

"...do it yourself..."

All three of them turned their heads towards Canti. Her eyes were only half open, but they were open enough to signal that she was okay.

"I'll go get everyone else," Vanille said, rushing out the door.

"So... you went on a whole adventure without me?!" Cid asked. "Where you went to protect my wife? Now, come on, baby girl, that just ain't fair."

She coughed a few times and cracked a tiny smile. "I... had to get you back, Papa... I'm so sorry..."

"What for?" he asked, shaking his head.

"I told you... I felt like an orphan, but..." she felt her eyes burn with tears. "But you adopted me and I acted like that didn't matter..."

"I know there will always be a level of disconnect between us," Cid said, taking her hand. "I'm nothing more than a stand-in."

"I disagree," Mateus said. "All the things she endured is proof your bond is real. Facing enemies here, to monsters in the field of battle. Be proud your daughter is willing to bend reality itself to make sure you still exist."

"Papa Cid," she said, the tears sliding down her cheeks. "I should never be ashamed of where my life has brought me. Who has come into it. And I never will again. I'm a Highwind because I want to be. I'm your daughter because..."

"...We want you to be," Cid said, sniffling along with her. "Me, Shera, and you. We want you to be."

Mateus watched them as they cried together. He planned on stepping out to let them be, but something happened that he didn't expect. Her other hand reached for him. He took it, holding it as tightly as he could, silently. He had never been a part of an emotional experience like this before. He had always shunned emotional connection, believing it to be nonsense. He wanted nothing to do with it. Someone the rest of the world had believed was cold and distant, as was his plan. And yet. He didn't want to let her go.

"...Papa," she said once they had finally dried each other's tears. "There's something else I must tell you."

"Please don't hold me in suspense. I couldn't handle any more."

"The one I had been chasing, that I told you that I had met from my dreams," she said. "He's right here."

Cid once again looked at Mateus. "You mean..."

"...I knew you wouldn't approve. No one on the team would have accepted it. So. I hid it."

"I thought we never kept secrets from each other, missy."

"I know, Papa, it's just..."

He sighed. "My daughter is a fool if she believes I'd keep her from anyone she loves. Hell, I've known her to have multiple lovers at once... It's not my lifestyle, but who am I to tell you to stop now?"

"No, I don't think you understand," she said. "My Emperor, if I may ask a silly request of you..."

"You only need to ask it."

"Will you make this yet another timeline where..."

Mateus reached into his pocket and pulled out the pouch Cezre gave him. He reached inside it to find a Palamecian Amethyst pendant. Back home that was something exchanged between royalty that had joined the Imperial family. He remembered it being on display within Canti's dorm room before, in the timeline where they were together. "...you will become the Empress of Palamecia," he said, placing the pendant within her hand. "As per the tradition."

She smiled. "I told you I wouldn't forget."

"You know, the last time you got engaged, it did not bode well for you," Minwu said from the door. Kain, Balthier, and Vanille also stuck their heads in. It seemed as if they had all been listening to that conversation.

"I don't think that will happen this time," Canti said. She leaned forward so Mateus could place the pendant around her neck, though she did lay back down as she was still hooked up to machines that could only be removed by the medical staff. "I will need all of you to help me with a few things, if you will."

"Why wouldn't we?" Balthier asked.

"Because, you all might be my family, but you're also a bunch of assholes. My bunch of assholes."

Kain came in closer. "I realized it as I carried you. Every time you advanced on me, I... I couldn't go through with it because I see you as family."

"That makes sense, honestly," Canti said with a shrug. "I'm sorry I laid it on so thick."

"Don't apologize, my lady. I will always be your knight."

"Oh, you spoil me."

"If you are to marry an Emperor, you will need your own officials and court one day, You could do worse than an upstanding dragoon like Kain as your knight," Balthier thought aloud. "I knew you were royalty the moment I met you, Princess."

"You arrogant piece of shit," she giggled. "I fucking love you. If you ever change, I'll never forgive you."

"I will advise you the way I advised Hilda, if you would have me," Minwu said, bowing his head.

"Aww. You always have been a teacher to me, Minwu. I'd be honored if you'd remain a part of my life."

Vanille wiped her eyes. Everything came together so beautifully. "You know, we all still have a festival to put together."

"There's more than that," Canti said. "I was given private quarters away from the dormitory. I'm gonna need your help moving in with me."

"What do you mean by that?" Balthier asked.

"Exactly what I said. I got a key to a new place, and we're supposed to be moved there before the weekend!" she said. "With me like this, I can't, but-"

"Give me the key," Mateus said.

"But-"

"You will obey," he said, staring at her intensely. She reached into her pocket and gave him the key. "Very good. Come then, you lot. Let us get this taken care of before our keeper is released from the infirmary, shall we?" Everyone else gave a nod and began to head off. Mateus turned to her before he followed them, bending down to kiss her forehead. "Rest for now. I will need your energy later."

She nodded. "I'll be happy to give it to you, when I am able."

"I accept," he whispered, finally heading out of that tiny room.

Canti felt her body fall back into the bed. She was so tired. Happy, relieved, overjoyed, oh yes. All of things. But she was also tired and felt compelled to sleep the deepest of sleeps. Her family was whole, it was here. She wanted them, and they wanted her in return. What else could she have wanted out of life? What more was there to ascend to, anyhow? Her last adventure as a keeper was over, and now, it was time to be whatever she was meant to be after that. There were so many choices to make in the future, but she would make them. And she would stand by them. Her breathing grew heavier, as did her eyelids. She drifted off to sleep, knowing that when she woke up, she'd be surrounded by the people she decided were her family. She knew that Mateus would not skimp on a wedding, once they were allowed to have it. She knew that they would spend many a night dancing between the sheets, and many days being happy. Even someone like Mateus would be happy for once in his life.

"Goodbye..." she whispered, "...to everyone I once loved, to everyone I have forgotten... Goodbye..."

Cantirena fell into a deep sleep right then, dreaming of the untold beautiful future yet still to come.

 _ **THE END**_


End file.
